Break The Silence
by angelkoushi
Summary: In which a hero dropout-turned-vigilante sets out to discover the real meaning of being a hero and the sinister secrets hidden beneath the glory, whose story is told through the eyes of people she meets along the way. • Cross-posted in Wattpad • Rated M because Bakugo Katsuki (and a bunch of other kids) swears a lot.
1. 1 Hatsume Mai

Everything went wrong when I started my internship in UA.

My sister and I have been talking about the school for most of our lives. It was our Dad's dream school, but he never pressured us to actually go there. He knows we're Mom's girls and he's fully supportive of us just hanging around in her laboratory, up to maybe pursuing the support course someday in a science high school the way she did.

It wasn't until around six or seven years ago in a rather traumatic incident when I started thinking I wanted to be more like him.

We were around ten years old at the time, and we thought it would be fun to discover how many unique routes we can take to walk from school back home. We're tried the longest routes that seemed to lead further from home before turning around; the shortest routes where it took us just ten minutes to get home; and the more twisty routes that went from alley to alley and into completely different neighborhoods.

It never bothered us that the alleys were dark; Mei always had a flashlight on her, and we were a hero's kids—we weren't afraid of anything.

Mei and I were going down one of the more obscure alleys in town when someone grabbed Mei from behind and started dragging her flush against his body. Tenacious as she was, even my sister was putty against the big, burly man. She had never looked so scared before, and I've never seen her panic in the slightest since. But something about that helpless face imprinted itself in my mind, and from that day on I swore that I would never see that face on her again if I can help it.

I tried to fight the man off as how dad taught me (blame all those training hours for 10-year-old me to think I could fight anyone and win), but even then, I lacked the strength. All it took was a punch to my face and I fell down like a bowling pin. Mei's screams pierced my ears and I didn't know if I was crying or yelling, or both. My face hurt and my eyes were blurry—I lost my glasses in the fight.

Just when I thought Mei was a goner, Dad swept in from his patrols in his full hero regalia. He fought off the man with those flashy, awesome moves I've only ever seen in video games, and the man was down before he could even fight back.

I mean, Dad being a hero always looked cool on TV when we see him on the news (which wasn't very often), but I've never actually seen him or any other hero fight in real life. Seeing a hero—and my Dad, no less—up close and personal, in the middle of all that fighting, is something I'll never forget.

The fight was over before we knew it and the criminal was handed over to the police. Mei was scared stiff but otherwise unhurt, and I had a terrible bruising on my eye. My glasses were also shattered, and I stood still in one corner before Dad came to help me walk. Mom was worried sick when we all got home, and did we get a scolding for a lifetime.

"That will teach you girls to take all those detours instead of going straight home," she had said.

Dad was a little more on the sympathetic side. "They got their curiosity from you, honey. I'm almost not surprised. And they're smart—they know what they have to do now. Don't you, girls?"

For the record, we did learn our lesson. We were home using the shortest, most well-lit, and well-populated route, and Mei and I picked up the pace in our daily self-defense practices.

Rather than incapacitate us for life, that experience only fueled and cemented what Mei and I wanted to be: for her to always have the best tools to keep her safe, and for me to never be in the mercy of others.

I think it was also around that time that we started considering studying in the best school of our age. If there was any place that could make Mei and I into the people we dreamed to be, it would be UA.

Granted, I wanted to become a hero, while Mei was eyeing the support course to fuel her dream career as a support mechanic. But we're still talking about UA. This school is the home of some of the greatest heroes (hell, even people) of this time, including the Number One hero himself: All Might. Whoever enters UA (if they're able to enter at all) chooses the painstaking path to becoming the best.

That should have been a daunting task, but Mei and I are competitive by nature; her more than me, I always said. We've been going to science competitions since we were kids—sometimes as a team, sometimes going up against each other to see who would bag the medal that year. For the record, I'm only short of one gold and two silvers.

For as long as I can remember, Mei has always wanted to make the best gadgets and things for heroes. Mom helped her cultivate that love, while I was more often the guinea pig for her new "babies" rather than the inventor myself. I could cite quite a few of my scars as results of some of her 'failed' experiments. I'm quite surprised she hasn't accidentally killed me yet.

While I do enjoy tinkering around in Mom's lab and taking apart the latest technology everyone was still gushing about, I've always been more of a discoverer rather than an inventor. I can replicate gadgets and technology, but I was never creative enough to come up with my own twists. I fight better than I create, because I'm more of my Dad's half of the twins as Mei was Mom's. He taught me close-combat as early as I learned to walk straight, and I usually got a new gadget or weapon on my birthdays and Christmas, to take apart and use. As Mom always said, I got it from my Dad.

All Might, Endeavor, and all the top heroes aside, my Dad is my greatest hero even if the world doesn't know him, and no one can change my mind. More than being one of the dispatched heroes in our city and our personal protector, he's an awesome dad and he loves our mom—which is more than a lot of people can say about themselves, really. He's our hero first and foremost, and I wanted to be half the hero he is.

Although fighting bad guys always looked cool to me, so that's a big bonus. Blame the video games.

Obviously, there was no better place to go than the school where hero trainees are taught by some of Japan's best heroes themselves. I mean, now that I want to be great hero, I might as well aim for the best and not waste my time or energy on less. And anyway, Dad would love it if we actually got in.

I wanted to be a licensed hero, just like my Dad. I mean, what kid doesn't nowadays? Even my sister is a hero in her own way, with all those top-tier gadgets and weapons that the government would confiscate if they ever found out she manufactured them. If you ever think my disabling a gun in record time is impressive, you should see my sister build one at the same speed—all from scratch.

When I entered UA's hero course, I met a lot of kids from my year who also wanted to be the best hero they could be. It was refreshing being with people who were at par with me, and I love the competition that started from the very first test.

I was also no stranger to that set of third years they called UA's Big Three, and it's always a treat to catch them sparring in the gym, or even just passing by them in the hallway. Togata _senpai_, Amajiki _senpai_, and Hado _senpai_ were supposedly the best of the best, and I saw that first-hand in the sports festival.

Every single student here was cut out to be the cream of the crop, the best of the all the middle schoolers who tried, both in academics and quirk skill—and they all exude that sense of excellence.

Well, most of them. I wouldn't exactly call Monoma Neito as excellent (he has this ridiculous superiority complex that was the bane of Kendo Itsuka's existence), but if there was anything good to be said about him, he's passionate about coming out as the best. I completely respect that, and on good days I might even be inspired by that.

Speaking of passion, there was also this kid from Class 1A who talked of nothing but becoming the best. It was a small space in our hallway, with our classrooms being right next to each other, and news travels. Or his voice travels, whichever came first. Bakugo Katsuki was always obnoxiously loud, and he rubs us all off the wrong way with his brusque attitude and rather filthy vocabulary. But I've seen him fight in the sports festival, and he really does have the skill and power worth bragging about.

As for me, I passed the entrance test and I came out excellent in the quirk apprehension test as per my homeroom teacher, Vlad King's assessment. I also got my costume and weapons sorted out (I had to check in with my sister for that one), and I had a close fight with Tokage Setsuna when we went through a battle trial.

It was supposed to be okay. From the moment I entered up until we started our internships, I was having fun learning all sorts of new things and being around such great people. I was never one to initiate a conversation, but Kendo was really nice to me, and Tokage and I really hit it off after the battle trial. There was always something new to behold with Class 1B every day, and I was starting to get used to how things worked in UA.

Everything we did made sense, and every class, activity, and assignment we took was geared towards training to become the best heroes. I may not have been able to get into the top in the sports festival, but I daresay I did alright. I did get a few contacts for my internship. There were a lot of interesting heroes that would have allowed me to go to different cities to train, but one of them stood out to me more as someone I would really want to learn under.

Given my particular quirk and how I wanted to improve as a hero and fighter in general, I chose to work with one of our teachers in UA: Snipe _sensei_.

To his credit, Snipe _sensei_ treated me like a proper colleague and sidekick. In my first day he took me on a patrol in the morning and minor missions in the afternoon, where he allowed me to apprehend the criminals myself. That evening, since I was the one to wrap up some of the cases, I was also the one to write the reports on it. It burned a lot of my brain cells writing all those reports, but Snipe _sensei _supported me with an encouraging word and a few cups of coffee every couple of hours. Neither of us spoke very much, but he always made sure that I felt like I'm useful part of his team—something I really appreciated from him.

Aside from developing a lot of skill and technique with the gun and even my blades, I also acquired purpose, reason, and determination in the short time I spent learning under him. I learned quite a lot about myself from Snipe _sensei_, mostly from all the things he had me do. Or not do, more like.

And that's why I dropped out.


	2. 2 Pro-Hero Snipe

My single greatest mistake as a pro-hero was not being able to take care of my intern.

Hatsume Mai was bright, quick, and efficient. She's good with her work and she knows what she doesn't excel at—and she knows how to make up for them with what she has. For example, while it's hard for her to think outside the box when solving a certain problem, she made up for it by being adaptable and sensitive to the situation fast enough to not only avoid being a burden, but up to becoming a part of the solution. Another example might be that while her quirk allows her to do range combat, she makes sure to stick to a physical training regimen that enables her to hold her own in close combat.

Above it all, she's a humble learner and has a steadfast moral compass: two things I always look for in people I mentor. I saw all that in the sports festival and I've watched her in my classes, so I took it upon myself to invite her to do her internships with me. She quickly learned the ropes in doing patrols on her first day, so I deemed it fitting to take her on the first legitimate mission that came to my offices during her internship period.

I never knew it would be her last for a very long time.

We were assigned to watch over a certain little girl because she had an interesting quirk. From what they've gathered, it appeared that everyone she touches loses their quirks. It reminded me a lot of Aizawa, and her quirk could be of interest to a lot of people, both the good and the bad sort. Given the most recent movements of the League of Villains and the first couple of cases of the Eight Precepts, Nighteye's hero office sent us to trail the girl and learn about her quirk, since my office was in the area.

It was a simple enough mission at first, and Mai's quirk proved most useful for stakeouts and observations. In the first day alone, she was able to compile a huge amount of data for our analysts to pour over, all from watching the little girl for a couple of hours. Our specific orders were not to engage, just observe.

But everything that could go wrong, went wrong.

It was our second day of keeping track of the girl, and Mai's third internship day. We locked in on the girl's location: she was playing out in the garden by herself. Once or twice her parents would come out to check on her, but nothing seemed amiss.

We were in an alleyway watching the street in front of the little girl's house when our surroundings started shaking. Mai lost her balance and fell to the ground, but she quickly crouched onto her knees and moved along with the walls, watching everything closely.

I got distracted with how strangely the walls and the ground were moving: it was as if they were being rearranged like pieces of a puzzle in all the wrong place. When everything finally stopped, some of the walls have become part of the ground while some parts of the ground were melded with the walls, and a lamppost was now standing horizontally.

It took me half a second later than Mai to come to my senses.

"_Sensei_! She's gone!"

I went right into the house across the street and much to my dismay, found it empty. Even the girl's parents were gone, save for a chilling set of clothes in the kitchen. I only understood why that scene sent a shudder down my spine much later. I signaled to Mai, and she quickly climbed to the highest roof in the surrounding neighborhood, scanning the place as far as her vision allowed her.

"There she is! They're not far."

I joined Mai at the spot and looked to where she pointed. There was no mistaking the mop of silver hair flying in the wind, but she was held by a figure dressed in a white jacket, with a hood over the person's head. Another person, a boy in an army-green jacket lined with violet fur, ran alongside the kidnapper.

We pursued the two until we got them cornered in another alleyway. Thankfully, it didn't seem like either of them had a speed quirk, or else we would have lost them. Mai and I both cocked our guns at either of the targets, and I was praying fervently that neither of us would have to fire a bullet before the day was over. Even if the child was in no danger with our aim, I really didn't want to write a longer report on this case.

I remember the child's muffled crying under the kerchief held tightly over her mouth, and her eyes bore into mine as if she could see them underneath my mask.

"Let the girl go, son."

Both boys—White Jacket was also a young man—didn't look any older than college students, and both their faces were covered with black masks. White Jacket held the little girl tenderly in his arms, about half a step behind Green Jacket, who was staring at both me and Mai, his gold eyes cold and unafraid. He reached for the girl and wrapped a hand almost softly around her neck.

Before I could take a step, the child exploded.

Blood and guts splattered on the walls around us. White Jacket's entire front was dripping red, as well as Green Jacket's entire arm. I resisted the reflex to back away when some of the blood splashed on my hands.

Almost as quickly as the gore exploded, small pieces began crawling back toward White Jacket, creeping slowly across the ground and the walls, until they've re-formed the body of the little girl. The moment her face was whole, she started bawling harder. Her painful shrieks scratched at my ears like nails on blackboard, and her red eyes swam with tears. She was pale and shivering from head to toe. White Jacket was unfazed; he just strengthened his grip on her body when she thrashed.

I couldn't understand what just happened, but something about Green Jacket clicked in my head and he was suddenly familiar. He slowly wrapped a hand around the little girl's neck, and the girl's breath hitched in her throat.

"If you don't want her to go through that again, I suggest you turn around and forget this happened. Trust me when I tell you that shit hurts."

I felt Mai move beside me, but I held her back as I kept my eyes on the boys. A silent agreement passed between us, and the walls started moving once again, rearranging to form an alleyway that the boys walked right into. I lowered my gun.

_Someone else was working with them, someone with a quirk that allows him to control the surroundings. Someone I can't see. We need to be careful._

I would never forget the way the girl's hands reached out for us. Her desperate, betrayed eyes still give me nightmares to this day.

"_Sensei_! They're getting away!"

Mai couldn't be held back, but she never made it. The alleyway closed and she ended up running against a new wall. No matter how hard she pounded on it, it wouldn't open. I saw her turn to me, her own eyes filled with angry tears and her fists burst and bleeding. Her expression was as broken as the girl we just lost and my stomach felt hollow.

I felt like a coward. My tongue felt thick in my mouth. But I couldn't think of anything to say that would placate her.

"Our orders were not to engage. Do you remember that? She would be worse off if we attacked, and someone else was working with them that we can't see. It's too complicated."

Mai's eyes were wide with disbelief. "So what are we going to do? What was so complicated about that? She was asking for help!"

"I saw that, Hatsume!"

She froze. I've never risen my voice at her. I never had the reason to. I clenched my fists and steeled my resolve.

My call was right.

-.-

Mai followed me back to the offices wordlessly, and she was there when we reported the incident. She answered the police's questions when she was asked, but she remained silent otherwise, lost in her own thoughts. I took on the writing of the report myself.

There was no mistaking the shadow that had fallen over her face, and she didn't meet eyes with any of her co-interns. They asked her how she was or how the mission went, but she shrugged them all off and sat at her corner of the intern table, head buried in her arms as if she was asleep. All the better, since we needed to keep things confidential until we knew more.

I knew I had to talk to her, but I got so caught up in the paperwork and the reports that I let her slip away when her shift ended for the day.

The next day, Mai didn't come to work. I almost couldn't blame her; that was a traumatizing experience, too early for her career, and she needed to process that. That sort of experience should have been reserved for work studies, much later in the semester.

Trusting that she would do the right thing and eventually ask for help on her own, I let her be without telling Vlad King.

I should have notified him the morning she didn't come in.

Mai didn't come in the next morning, nor the morning after that. In fact, she didn't come in for the rest of the week. When her internship schedule was on the verge of conclusion, on the last assigned day, I finally visited Vlad King to ask how she was doing. His words confirmed a suspicion I didn't want to acknowledge.

"She hasn't been going to class, as expected, so I naturally assumed she was with you."

I was called in by Principal Nezu and we held a conference with Vlad King and the rest of the faculty to discuss what must be done. We called her home, we asked her classmates, we even enlisted the help of her sister to look for her in the places she might go—but it was all to no avail.

It was like she disappeared into thin air.

-.-

The kidnapping incident was the last I saw of Hatsume Mai for a very long time. The way things went down a few months later, I couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt.

_If I had chased after the child, if I had followed Mai's advice, would things have turned out differently?_ Whenever I asked of her opinion, she would always give me sound advice, based on the balance of logic and compassion.

Of all the days to not listen to her, why did I choose that one time?

But I knew the answer to that: I'm a hero working for the government. The license that allows us the freedom to use our quirks at will to help society is the very same license that binds us to do what we're told to do and go where we're told to go. In that particular assignment, the order was only to observe the little girl, and the fine-print was clear: we were not to engage or duke out punishment until we were given the go-signal.

I was there in Nighteye's funeral. I couldn't look at anyone, and the feeling that it was all my fault never left me. I saw Togato Mirio that day, his eyes puffy and red even if he wasn't crying. He had worked for and with Nighteye ever since he became a third year. He respected that salaryman highly, and Nighteyes treated him like his own son.

If we had retrieved that child, many months ago, Nighteye wouldn't have had to die. Those young students in Aizawa's class need not have gone through such traumatizing experience, even if it _was_ for their work studies. That little girl wouldn't have been abused at all. That whole rescue operation never should have happened.

If I had listened to Mai, nobody would have gotten hurt.


	3. 3 Hatsume Mei

Mai has always been the weird child. If you've met me and think I'm weird, she's even weirder.

For one, she chose the hero course when we've spent most of our lives tinkering in our mother's laboratory. I know Dad eventually trained her for combat longer than the time she spent in the lab, and she always admired Dad for being a hero. But you'd think a science genius would want to pursue a career in support above everything else. I mean, look at all our awards and the support items we've made together for both Mom and Dad (and they actually use the stuff).

We would have made a killer support-mechanic team.

I think everything started changing after that incident when we were ten. Somehow the twins who have always chosen to do the same things diverged, and different dreams began forming in our minds. I needed weapons; Mai needed skill.

After that day, the time we used to spend playing in the lab became time to hone our abilities towards the different paths we've decided to tackle: I created more weapons, armor, and gadgets, while Mai trained in combat with or without Dad. Nevertheless, we were still pretty good at what we chose to do, if I do say so myself.

When the time came, she passed the hero course entrance exam, both the written and the practical. I only heard about the exam from Mai when she came home that day, beaming with pride and bursting with stories. She had observed the robotic villains from afar with her quirk and figured out the chinks in their armor, then attacked those chinks using support items I made for her. That was the first time she used my crossbow prototype, and I got an earful about how to improve that baby afterward.

She was a perfect fit for that exam, I always said.

I was not at all surprised that she passed, anyway; she's literally my twin, she's smart as hell, and—admittedly—she fights better than I do. I mean, all that extra time she spent in combat training _has_ to come out in some way, right? I'm not going to begrudge her that combat skill, because I know I'm the better twin when it comes to experiments – and she knows it – but you get the picture.

Throughout the year, though, I just couldn't help but think that things would have gone much differently for her if she had stuck with me in the support course.

There would be no need to figure out things like what being a hero means or such introspective things the hero course kids are always yapping about. When it came to support, it's always just making the best items, improving on such items, and catching hero's attentions so that they would use said items. It was never complicated.

Nevertheless, I supported her with all my heart and hands. After all, this was really what she wanted after that 'accident' when we were kids. Furthermore, that's what my chosen career demands of me, right?

I remade that crossbow from her entrance exam to go with her hero costume, plus a pair of jet boots she used in the sports festival, as well as the poison darts. I also designed most of her hero costume for her, even if it went through a lot of revision because she's damn stubborn if she wants to be. There's nothing wrong with the hot-pink body suit, and I couldn't see why she didn't like it. But I aim to meet the demands of my client, no matter how hardheaded they are.

We've always made a great team, even if she refused to admit it.

She began working on knives first, for the sole reason that they looked pretty damn cool when you threw and they hit home. It must have been on one those video games she's always on. Pretty soon, she fell in with guns of all sorts, and I remember my teeth rattling all the way from the lab whenever she's at target practice with them.

I was working on a rifle in secret around the time she disappeared. It's a pretty sweet baby, with both rear and front sights that adjusted to her vision quirk, because she always told me how she admired Snipe _sensei_ and that she was learning to use a variety of guns with him and Dad.

I was going to give it to her on our birthday.

-.-

Mai was so excited to start her internship with Snipe sensei. I think after our Dad, Snipe _sensei_ is her favorite hero (much to the chagrin of her homeroom teacher, or so I hear). She hid it well, but a smile always crept up to her face whenever we broached the topic of their in-coming internships. It couldn't have arrived earlier for her, and she has been ready since after the sports festival ended.

She was up so damn early on that first day, and when she came home that night she wouldn't stop talking about what she learned or what Snipe made her do. It was mostly writing reports, but you'd think she was disassembling and studying a new game console for all the enthusiasm she had. She also told me about parts of Musutafu City that I didn't even know existed, and I was beginning to think she had already drawn an accurate map of the city in her head.

I wouldn't even be surprised. The girl memorized the periodic table of elements in two days for a competition in which she didn't even use it. It probably helps that she has it up like a poster in her half of our room.

But that evening, when she came home from her shift on the second day, she didn't talk at all. I came home late that day, I remember, because I got caught up on a baby and Power Loader _sensei_ had to literally push me out of the workshop so I could go home.

Seriously, when a genius is at work, you don't interrupt her. That's what mom always said, and she can never be moved when she's holed up in the lab. But it didn't matter much, because then we were also working on our own projects with her in the same space, and we tried to avoid disturbing one another.

That night, Mom was in the lab and Dad had a late patrol shift. Dinner was on me since Mai did it the night before.

"Mai! What do you want to eat?"

No answer. I shrugged it off and made the simplest dinner I could since I wanted to get back to working on that baby I didn't finish this afternoon. I swear it only needs a few more tweaks and bolts. Mapo tofu and stir-fry vegetables are simple enough, and Dad loves a good mapo tofu.

"Mai! Dinner's ready."

She didn't answer again. I figured she was sleeping because she was just tired from her assignment that day, so I left her alone and stayed up finishing one of the babies I had going. Mai stayed holed up in her room all night, way after Mom resurfaced from the lab and Dad returned home from patrolling. Each of them went to see her, but neither was able to draw her from the room.

"She's asleep," said Dad, coming down from the second floor in his indoor clothes.

"She was working on some assignment when I went up a few hours ago," said Mom. "Are you guys busy this time of year?"

"The hero course is, for sure," I replied, forgetting that I had food in my mouth. I swallowed and added, "They have to keep up with studies even with internships."

"Maybe that's why she's so tired. Well, she'll come around soon."

-.-

At around midnight, long after the house had quieted down, Mai finally emerged from our room. I didn't have to look up to recognize the sound of her footsteps coming into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry? There's food to be heated up, though you have to do it yourself. My hands are dirty."

She shook her head and sat on the dining table facing me, cradling her chin on her hands as she looked over my project. I just nodded and kept working. She would often watch me work when she couldn't sleep, where she would either do her homework or help me out by becoming my assistant. But this time, she just stared at me.

I didn't question it then, but on any other day she would have reprimanded me for working with gear oil and rusty tools on the dining table. That night, she didn't say a word of it.

After a long while, she broke the silence. "Mei."

"Hm?"

"Didn't you want to become a hero? Just like dad."

I glanced at her. "'Course I did. Every other kid wants that nowadays. All Might and Endeavor and most of our other teachers were also on TV and the news a lot, and they look really cool. Not to mention that Dad is a hero as well."

"But you chose the support course."

I nodded as I screwed a bolt in. "It's what I'm good at. I learned from Mom that being a hero means more than fighting villains and criminals. I guess that's always been more like you and Dad. For mom, she would rather assist dad and balance him in that way. For me, well, I'm never going to be unarmed again."

"Why did you want to be a hero, then?"

I flashed her a grin. "Same as you and probably every other kid in your course: to save people."

Mai was quiet again for a long while, and I went back to humming as I worked. When she spoke again, her voice was softer than before.

"You ever think about how you can't save everyone? Even when you're a pro-hero?"

I considered the question as I peered into my baby. "Sure. We're all just human. The best we can do is try. Even Mom and Dad know that. There are a lot of factors to it, and Mom always talks about work and stuff. It's more than just fighting and winning – there's a lot of stuff that they have to consider as well."

"I think heroes should be free to call their own shots, especially at the expense of saving someone."

Mai sounded like she was talking to herself, but in the silence of the room, I heard her well. Her answer came faster and harder than her daydream-like tone a while ago despite the soft volume, and for a moment I thought she was back to her passionate self.

"Exactly—that's what the license is for," I said, flashing a wink at her. "Are you trying out to get your provisional license this year?"

It took her a whole second to shrug. "I guess so. Both 1A and 1B are doing it."

I grinned. "You'll be great!"

Mai didn't smile, but I thought nothing of it. After a pause, she added, "Good night, Mei."

"Alright, best be sleeping early. You won't want to be late for internship tomorrow. Good night, Mai."

I watched Mai climb up the stairs from the corner of my eye. I didn't think much of the whole encounter, as that was how we usually talked. But remembering it now, her shoulders seemed kind of slumped and she was lacking the spirit that often leaked out of her shy shell whenever she talked to me.

Mai has always been on the quiet side, but she always walked with her shoulders squared, her head held high, and her eyes burning with a hundred questions.

I thought nothing of it, or even the morning after when I found her bed empty. I didn't quite notice that her uniform was still hanging on the back of her door.

That night was the last time I or any member of my family saw Mai for a very long time.


	4. 4 Hero Killer Stain

_She's late._

Night was falling fast outside the warehouse, and I had repeatedly told her to finish her job before the streetlights came on. It wasn't even supposed to be too hard of a job, and she's more than capable of finishing two or three of the simpler ones in the span of an hour.

Though I admit, this job was a little more complicated given that her assignment was to... well, let's just say she has to leave a permanent mark on the city's resident hero, to send my message out into a greater public.

After all, I have to expand my reach if I ever want to change this hero society. To do that, the message has to be unmistakable.

I had the TV turned on with the evening news, and the grimy pictures are showing a report of another minor hero's death. Good riddance, and way too long since the last one. I had to grin at myself—this had been a quick, clean job. It didn't have the cleanest image on the news, but it does strike a chord.

A chord of fear, I might say.

Suddenly the warehouse doors slid open, but I was not surprised nor threatened. I have lingered in this city longer than I have ever stayed in any other city I've visited, and still the police could not trace me. It's not to say that my assistant and I were quiet about our presence either: she has maimed a number of heroes and left their bodies out in public, and I've already killed one—with such flair as well, if I do say so myself.

Even with that, no one can track us: not the police nor any neighbors. I suppose my assistant is good at her job in that way: she knows well to divert attention and lay down promising leads that turn their noses away from our general direction. Although, after the activities of tonight, it was time to move on to the next location.

The warehouse door clanged and shut with a loud thud, and a hooded figure came in. Her gray hoodie weighed down on her petite frame and had become dark due to rain water, but still she walked tall. She always had a sure stride in her walk, even if she often kept her gaze either low or far. Or directly on me. It took a while for that confidence to settle on those shoulders.

I crossed my arms as I scrutinized her. "You're late. Loose the coat; you might catch a cold."

Her nose wrinkled. "Are you concerned about me now? I had to lose my tail." She brushed off the water from her sleeves and I noticed the blood on her pale knuckles.

I grinned, falling right into a satisfied laugh. She had gotten so far from the weak, pathetic image I found her with in some obscure alley in this city. If someone told me that a crying mess of a little girl would become the hero world's more aspiring vigilante (next to me, of course), I would have laughed in their faces.

I sank down into a threadbare couch, feeling a little more relaxed now that she has arrived. "You could have just killed them."

My protege drew nearer and drew the drenched hood from her head. Under it was the face of a young girl just barely past puberty. Her short pink hair hung in wet tendrils around her head, and droplets of water rested on her reddened nose and cheeks. She wiped her bloodied kunai against the sleeves of her hoodie and before sheathing it against her thigh, then pulled the drenched coat off her body while regarded me carefully.

It's only been a few days since I found her, but from the weakling that she was to the assassin that she is now, that look on her face never changed. It was a look that said, very clearly: "I don't trust you."

Wise of her, to say the least.

"I don't kill, Stain. That's your job, apparently," she said aloud, then cast a glance at the TV as she squeezed out the water from her hoodie. "You've been busy. That your fault?"

I shrugged. "Mhm. I think it's time to hit it big. We won't advance like this."

"So you started killing them."

I chuckled. This was my greatest idea yet. The genius of the plan allowed me to send my message slowly, in multiple areas, without getting caught. Soon enough she had tagged along in my 'escapades', and our victims drastically increased. It won't be long before this society is purged of these selfish individuals who called themselves 'heroes'.

Granted, she never killed any of our victims; she had given the pleasure and responsibility of that act to me.

"We start where we are, but soon we'll hit the big cities. We'll show them what heroes should be like. Not all these fakes who just take exams to get a license to push people around."

Her eyes narrowed. "I followed you and do dirty shit for you because I agreed with what you stand for."

I looked at her from head to toe. From what I gathered of the snippets of things she's said when she first came around (and she hasn't been very forthcoming either), she became disillusioned with hero work right when she began her internship in the area. I've seen that face on TV a few times, because of that pompous live show of the sports festival in the most famous school in Japan.

It makes me itch to ask about the hero who turned her fantasy into a cruel reality, but if she wants to tell me, she will. Whatever the case, a dropout from this society's elitist hero educational system only serves to make my message clearer.

Besides, it's always like that for impressionable youngsters, myself included in my time. We think heroes are glorified gods of the modern society until we get a taste of what hero work is actually like. And now I know—we know—that heroes are nothing more but selfish individuals who don't give a fig about the people they save. It's always one thing or the other: glory, or money.

Heroism shouldn't be a paid job. Of all the heroes who rose after rules about quirks were established and solidified, only one such person can be called a true hero: All Might, the perfect embodiment of the old meaning of the word. That title should be reserved for people like him, those who embody self-sacrifice—such was the old way of heroism.

And now she believes it too. Or something to that effect, I'd wager.

"What is it you believe, exactly?"

She crossed her arms and shrugged. Her body showed nonchalance, and she always crossed her arms when she wanted to withhold an answer. But there was anger burning in those metallic eyes. She paused, then met my eyes straight on.

I've never met anyone who could do that before her—normal people often run away right when they see me face, while heroes freeze in fear, at least before I kill them. Not that I go around showing my face everywhere I go. But seeing as she doesn't fit in either category, I shouldn't have been surprised.

Neither a pompous hero nor a helpless civilian: a true vigilante who has visions for this world but is held down from achieving it because of some ridiculous law.

"I believe heroes should be allowed to save those who need saving, when they need it," she finally said. "The law shouldn't prohibit anyone who wants to help at any given moment." She tensed as her gaze dropped, gripping her arms so tight that her fingers dug into her skin. "How could anyone be called a true hero without being allowed to do at least that?"

I paused, grinning proudly. _She got it._ "That's right. True heroes are people who abandon everything about themselves to help those in need. But aside from All Might, no other hero could boast of such qualities. This is why we purge them."

This time, she looked up at me again and frowned. "I get that, but I never agreed to kill, Stain. You don't have to kill them to douse that self-righteous fire. After all, it hurts more to live without being able to do the one thing you're good at. Look at what you did to that engine hero. You'll never see him walking around again."

Ah, yes. Even now his name was a fading memory. No matter, he was done for anyway.

I rose from my seat and drew near to her. I felt her tense up, but if she had any notion to kill me, she would have done it already. After all, it was in her complete capability to do so.

"How right you are, my little apprentice. And you've been doing so well with that, following my pattern. But you see, when we go into the bigger cities, the heroes there tend to be stronger, more determined at keeping their titles and jobs. Maiming them would only strengthen their voices as well as the people's support. Killing them, on the other hand, puts a bookend to their ideals."

"At the risk of making martyrs out of them? The media will never let them die without the word 'hero' next to their obituaries. You'll only make their voices louder."

I shook my head. "Yes, it risks that for the first few, say, hundred heroes. But soon enough, this society will soon realize that they aren't needed if they aren't around. Don't you think so?"

She was silent, and I could almost see the gears in her head turning as she processed what I said. After a long while, she shrugged.

"Alright. You're the boss. I'll follow with whatever you think is right."

I stared into her eyes: her mechanical bronze eyes that, during the day, were covered under thick glasses as she part-timed in the nearest convenience store. It was through her own effort that got her there, and she was the most excellent liar. She had cut her short pink hair even shorter, and made a mess of those bangs over her face. Even then, she was always careful to keep her hood up to avoid unwanted attention. She pulled her own weight and was never a cause for concern—the perfect sidekick.

Whichever hero got her for his or her internships but let go of such an advantage is only a testament to how stupid this profession really is.

Those eyes proved a great asset to me in my rise to influence. When I first found her down an alley after a kill, she was a shaking, crying mess—I almost killed her just to cover my tracks. But she looked right at me, knew what I stood for, and looked sure as steel. I don't know how she found out about me, but then my lack of such knowledge was never a threat. And I haven't seen such resolve in anyone's eyes before. They were not sacrificial.

This girl believed in something she was willing to live and fight for, no matter the cost. And she is the sort of person heroes should be most wary about.

"You're coming with me in my next step," I said firmly. "You'll be my eyes and my knife, and you will see this society change to how you know it should be. What do you say, Sniper?"

The girl looked up at me and glared pointedly, her lips curled into a snarl. If only she knew how proud I was of that ferocious glare. Before I knew it, there was a tiny prick right at my sternum. She held one of her blades—a gift from me—poised against my chest, ready to strike.

"You call me that again and it would be the last words you say."

I laughed loudly. She never fails to surprise me. "As you wish, my child. Let me try that again: what do you say, Hatsume Mai?"


	5. 5 Iida Tenya

I came to Hosu City for one reason and one reason only: to hunt down the Hero Killer.

It's not because Normal Hero "Manual" was not a good mentor; he was always kind to me and he showed me the ropes at once in the first few days. If I wasn't burdened by the fact that I carried my brother's name as I wore my hero costume, I would have thought the whole endeavor exciting.

But Hosu City had been where Stain, that man who dubbed himself the Hero Killer, was last sighted.

When he maimed my brother.

He had no right to go strutting around freely after what he had done to my brother: the only one at par at all with All Might's ideals. I studied his patterns from the last persistent news reports, and I'm almost sure he had not left yet.

No. I _have_ to be sure. I'm going to catch him and make him pay. I will watch him beg at Ingenium's feet for mercy and forgiveness, and then—

_And then what, Tenya? Is this still you?_

Be quiet. This is justice—my justice. My _brother's _justice.A hero must have a sense of justice as well as the power to carry it out. My brother would have done it.

_Would he have, really?_

The sun was slowly setting somewhere towards the west when things started happening. Suddenly, an explosion erupted somewhere close to where we were at patrol. Manual was on alert at once, listening for updates on his intercom from the heroes nearby. There was trouble.

"Iida! To the scene! RUN!"

Just as I was about to take a step, something caught my eye in a darkened alley and I skidded to a halt. Something was not right. I looked harder among the shadows, then I saw it: a glint of metal flashed under a light, and then it disappeared.

It can't be.

I rushed in, but before I could verify my hunch, a hooded figure jumped in my way and darted forward. Another glint of metal flashed, and it clanged against my helmet. I sidestepped and quickly retreated a few paces, inspecting my surroundings.

The alley was dark, but there was movement in the shadows a few meters away from where I stood. Between me and the scuffle was a figure in a huge gray pullover jacket, with a hood that covered all but the bottom fraction of their face. I dare not assume, but it looked like a girl, and a young one at that. The figure was neither tall nor big.

Before I could think any more, she darted forward again and gripped my shoulders faster than I could react. She pulled herself over my body and caught me in her arms with a tight headlock, her body pressed up behind me and her legs locked around my torso.

"I dare you to move."

Suddenly something was pressing up against my neck, in between the chink of my armor. Judging by the bite, it was a knife. It was only long after the incident, when I had the chance to think about it, that I realized her voice sounded so familiar.

I relaxed my arms and thanked my stars for a second that I've been paying attention in sparring practice. In what looked like a calming exhale, I caught her arm holding the knife and twisted it away from me. The blade clattered on the floor, followed quickly by a sharp cry of pain.

Before I could grab her, the figure kicked off of me and sent me sprawling on the ground, but I was ready for her this time. I rolled over and caught her square in the chest with a kick from both my legs as she descended on me. She flew away with the force of my boosters and landed with a dull thud against the wall.

I didn't wait to see her get up.

I hurried over to the scuffle in the dark and saw the infamous red scarf and crude blades holding up another hero victim against the wall. He turned to me, and I ignored the chill that ran through my spine when his eyes locked with mine. Too quickly for me to dodge completely, a swipe of his blade caught me by my helmet and it got wrenched off my head. It fell far behind me with a resounding clang.

"A kid in a costume. Who are you?" His voice was like someone was dragging a knife along my spine. "Get out of here. This is no place for children."

_Children, huh? How about I show you how this kid will put an end to you._

I pulled myself to my legs. I'm not about to back down now, not when I'm so close. I'm never going to let go of this chance to avenge my brother. The image burned itself across my mind: an image that would take a long time to fade away. A scarf red as blood... Armed to the teeth with blades...

I locked eyes with him, and I was determined to see beyond the darkness and malicious intent they held. I'm going to look at those eyes when I get him where it hurts.

"I've been pursuing you, hero killer. I'm the brother of the hero you attacked. I am Ingenium!"

Stain swiped his blade right at the tip of my nose, missing me by half an inch. Then, he grinned. "Ingenium. Ah, I remember him. Tenacious, self-righteous, and chivalrous, wasn't he?"

I felt my blood boil. "You have no right to speak his name!"

"Ingenium, huh? That's you now, I suppose. Well then, I think it's time for you to die again."

Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind Stain, and then the hooded figure who attacked me stepped out into the light. She looked at me square in the eye, and I saw her face for the first time. Something about her struck me as familiar, but I couldn't quite make the connection at the moment.

"We need to leave," she said in a low voice. "No doubt this kid will have reinforcements attached to him. He's from UA."

I glared at her. The gall of this girl to call me 'kid' while she would barely even graze my chin! I completely overlooked the fact that she knew where I was from, maybe because I'd naturally assumed by then that most people have watched the sports festival.

Stain smirked, and I took it that he wasn't leaving. "Then make yourself useful and be on the look-out. That's what you're good at, isn't it?"

The girl looked grim, but she obeyed his orders and had soon climbed up to the top of the alley.

Now's my chance.

I aimed a kick at Stain, but he dodged it as he flew into the air. Before I knew it, he stomped down on my arm, hard enough to drag me to the ground and break my armor. He shifted his stance and placed his boot over my head.

I didn't have any time to react when he drove his blade through my armor, through muscle and bone and ligament of my arm, and through the cement beneath my body. My shoulder exploded into a red burst of pain; I didn't know if the yell came from me or from the people beyond the alley for whatever mess was going down.

"You're weak..." he drawled, looming over me. "You and your brother, you're both weak. You go around in these ridiculous costumes, posing as heroes. You're insufferable."

"SHUT UP!"

_My brother is a great hero. He's my hero. He inspired me to work hard so I could be just like him, and now he won't ever be a hero again._

"Stain." The girl had come back, and her voice was harder now. "Someone's coming. He's fast, and he'll be here in a few seconds. You can't take this... He's..."

_Which hero is she talking about? It can't be All Might. The Number One hero wouldn't be in Hosu City, of all places._

"I need to accomplish my duty to this society, Mai."

_Mai?_

"Your duty was to show people that heroes are more than what they are now. Your duty was to send a message to heroes that they should be better than money-hoarding posers who misuse the title of hero."

"This is exactly what I'm doing. This is my message, and this is how I'll send it."

_What the hell are these two talking about?_

"Something about this doesn't feel right anymore! You can't keep killing them!"

I peered up at the girl from the corner of my eye. Her hood had been pulled back, and her short pink hair was blowing in the wind. Her fists were clenched in tight fists, and—was she shaking?

_Wasn't she Stain's minion?_

"I never agreed to kill, Stain. I maim for you. I injure them beyond recovery as warning. But I never agreed to kill. Not like this."

_Was she the one who rid my brother of his boosters?_

I squirmed, then yelled in pain as the blade moved around in my arm, tearing my muscles apart. I felt Stain turn his attention back to me.

"Then leave," he said quietly, addressing the girl. "You're no child of mine."

The girl glanced at me, then glared at Stain for a moment longer before pulling her hood over her head. She backed up further in the alley until she was one with the shadows. I didn't have the time to ponder about what just happened as death was knocking at my door and my arm was slowly being wrenched apart. I could feel blood seeping in from under me.

_Maybe this is where I die._

-.-

But I made it out alive, somehow, and a just a little worse for wear. Midoriya and Todoroki came to my rescue soon after the girl left, and Stain was detained by the police after a huge fight. Apparently, it was a bunch of nomu that attacked Hosu City and drew the attention of most of the heroes away from the Hero Killer. Even the Top 2 hero was around, for some reason. If it weren't for Midoriya and Todoroki, I probably would have died.

Midoriya was bleeding heavily, and Todoroki was also injured from the cuts the Hero Killer gave him. It's been a long night, and I've made my own realizations about what happened to my brother, and what it really means to be a hero. I'm right about ready to drop from exhaustion.

We were all sent to the hospital to recuperate after the fight, and as per Recovery Girl's advice, my arm would still be useable provided I let it rest for a while. I don't even want to know the extent of Midoriya's injuries.

That night, I couldn't quite fall asleep. Todoroki and Midoriya were soundly asleep in the cots beside mine, so I tiptoed from under my blankets and opened the window to the balcony. The wind was a comfort in contrast to the stuffiness of having to stay inside the hospital room, and I longed to get out.

I remembered the girl, but there have been no reports about her while hundreds have been made about Stain over the past few hours. It was like she was never even there.

Suddenly I felt my entire body shake. _Ah, it's my phone._ I took it out and recognized the number and face of the caller.

"_Moshi moshi_, Hatsume—"

_Hatsume. Hatsume Mei. Could it be... She disappeared not so long ago…_

"Iida? Are you alright?" came her voice from the other line. Even with the slight garble, I realized why the cloaked girl's voice sounded so familiar.

"H-Hatsume..."

"I called as soon as I could; you know how work is here with Power Loader sensei. I wanted to check in, see if you needed any of my new babies to help you recover. I've got this one that – "

"Hatsume! B-by any chance, do you know where your sister is?"

The line was quiet for a long while, but I could hear her breathing in my ear that told me she hadn't hung up. After a moment longer her voice came through once again. She didn't sound at all chipper anymore.

"How do you know of Mai?"


	6. 6 Kurogiri

The news was showing another rerun of that hero killer's viral video. I might be able to deliver the lines of that video as they were said because of how many times I've watched it—though of course, not by my leave. Shigaraki Tomura's master wants him to keep the TV on for news updates on All Might and those UA kids—something about him having to face off with the broccoli-haired one someday, although I'm still not quite sure. Whatever the case, we can't just turn the TV off whenever we want to.

However, when the news from all the channels keep showing the same damned video for three days straight, someone is really going to get it. It was starting to get into my nerves. But if there was anyone more annoyed than me about this whole situation, it would be Shigaraki Tomura.

"Stain this, Stain that—do these idiots have nothing else to report?" he yelled at no one in particular. "How about the nomu? Can no one say anything about the nomu?"

I was saved from having to explain or come up with another shit answer when the door to the bar opened, revealing our rather influential broker friend, Giran. To be honest, I don't like him much; he fills the bar with the putrid smell of cigarettes whenever he drops by, and he looks like someone's sleazy uncle. But then again, he's useful.

Such as now.

Trailing behind him were, I supposed, three new recruits blown in by the wind made by Stain's viral video: a tall, probably college-aged boy who exuded a manner-less attitude and had burnt skin stapled along his jaw and arms; a perky blonde girl in a high school uniform whose eyes didn't bother hide the fact that she's seriously messed up; and an unremarkable, bespectacled girl in a dark gray hoodie.

Not the most striking kids, as per my first impression. After all, I've seen worse human beings. And non-human beings.

Apparently, Shigaraki Tomura thought the same thing because the first thing he told me was to warp them away. I reasoned with him, because there has to be a reason why Giran recommended these children to us. His master has been subtly hinting about how Shigaraki Tomura needed more than just the desire to destroy everything he didn't like. If I understood him correctly, we were supposed to use the Hero Killer issue to our advantage.

The uniformed girl was called Toga Himiko, and a rather bloody reputation preceded her. She was certainly not subtle with her antics, and she was a self-proclaimed crazy fangirl of the Hero Killer. I wasn't sure if she wanted to be Stain, or kill Stain—though she did say she wanted to do both. The smell of bloodlust followed her steps, and I'm almost sure her quirk had something to do with that too.

The burnt college boy had not much crime to his name, but he claimed to be spurred by the Hero Killer's ideals. He doesn't say much except when he's being obnoxiously sarcastic, but we managed to squeeze a name out of him: Dabi. From the get-go, I figured his quirk had something to do with all that unsightly skin stapled all over his body.

The third girl was even quieter than Dabi, and looked really commonplace. She seemed to be around the same age as Toga, or maybe a year older. She said nothing, only watched the scene before her. She examined me, then her eyes flitted to Shigaraki, then to Toga, then to whoever was speaking. She said nothing.

"I found this last one wandering around the lesser-known parts of town," said Giran, gesturing to the last girl. "When I asked her if she wanted to join a cause that followed Stain's ideals, she trailed me ever since. Go on, sweetheart, tell them your name."

The bespectacled girl kept staring at Shigaraki, and Shigaraki just stared back at her. She had the most unnerving eyes: almost mechanical, they played between the colors of dusty gold and bronze. Her dirty pink hair was cropped close under her ears, but other than that, she had no other color. Even her lips looked almost pale, and her frame was slight under that heavy dark hoodie that looked like it didn't belong to her.

"Mai."

I felt the need to ask. "Is that a nickname like Dabi here, or is that your last name?"

"It's just Mai."

She didn't speak at all after that. I could feel Shigaraki growing impatient. Suddenly he reached out to attack Dabi, while Dabi also shot out his hand to retaliate. Before they could collide, I warped their arms and led them to other directions before they could harm each other. Both Toga and Mai had knives poised to attack, and a long, tense silence followed.

When they all calmed down a little, Shigaraki stormed off, which left me to attend to our guests and clean up the mess. As per usual.

Giran shook his head. "He seems too immature, still."

I found myself sighing. "We'll answer you in a day or two. Will that suffice? Shigaraki Tomura will come around soon enough, with an answer that will satisfy both you and him."

The broker shrugged, then led the three recruits out of the door of the bar. Before leaving, the girl with the glasses looked back, straight at me. A look of understanding passed in her eyes, then she closed the door behind her.

_Was that part of her quirk? Or was she just naturally nosy?_

-.-

"We're moving out."

Shigaraki had indeed slunk back into the bar that same night, and I saw a new resolve in his eyes. They weren't dead anymore, and somehow, I knew he already had a plan in mind. Last I checked on him after he left, he was wandering around in a shopping mall. An hour after he returned, Giran escorted the recruits back into the bar, with a couple newer ones in tow.

Toga pipped up. "Where are we going?"

I put back the empty wine glasses on the shelves before answering her. "Our private source has told us that the first-year students from UA are currently having their summer training in some private property. How we're getting there and all that is none of your concern, but as for the plan..."

I looked at Shigaraki Tomura, who had just come out of the room where he constantly talked with his master. He carefully slipped the hand of his father back over his face, then scanned the faces in the room.

"This is the plan."

-.-

The plan was going perfectly, so far.

Aside from the first three recruits, we got a few more others: Twice, who had the shadow clone quirk (somehow I think I've heard of someone with that ability before); a middle-schooler named Mustard, who can control poison gas; Mr. Compress, who can contract people into marbles; Muscular, a power-type who can control his muscles outside of his body; an escaped death-row inmate called Moonfish, who had an impressive set of teeth; Magne, who had a magnetic quirk; and the lizard mutant Spinner with a sharp set of knives.

Taking all the quirks together and considering that they were just going after a bunch of kids and two teachers, the ten individuals were an army. They even had a name for themselves: The Vanguard Squad of the League of Villains. Whatever suit their fancy.

We've been watching the first years for quite a while now, ever since All Might started teaching in UA. There was one boy he seemed to dote on, and this green-haired kid appeared to have a quirk similar to the top hero's own. I would have thought he was to be our target to make a statement, but Shigaraki Tomura had other plans.

There was another child—this one easily set himself apart from the others. The sports festival very clearly showed how abrasive and unwilling he was to cooperate, and Shigaraki Tomura thought he would make a good recruit. The plan was to have the League of Villains recruit someone taken right from one of the very children this hero society breeds to bring villains down. Not only will we gain a powerful ally, but it will shake the society's trust in its heroes.

It was the perfect plan, and Bakugo Katsuki was the perfect bait.

At the time, I thought, surely such a child with anger issues was the best bet to have in the team. After all, these new recruits are a bunch of powerful misfits just headed towards the same goal. Bakugo Katsuki fit right in the mold.

In hindsight, after much thought, I should have seen his rejection coming.

For the retrieval operation, Dabi was paired up with Twice to hold up the teachers. Toga Himiko was in the forest to apprehend Ragdoll and collect three students' blood for future use, and Mustard the gas boy was supposed to slow down everyone else. Where Mustard didn't reach, we let Moonfish loose. We placed Muscular toward the periphery, in case anyone tried to escape or come to the rescue.

In the clearing where most of the students and the pesky Pussycats were supposed to be trapped, we've sent Mai, Magne, and Spinner, while Mr. Compress went around the forest to look for Bakugo Katsuki. Mai was to keep watch of operations, and serve as my connection to the Vanguard.

It must have something to do with that strange quirk of hers: the ability to see in long distances. When I warped them onto the cliff before they infiltrated the private property, Mai was quick to pinpoint the locations of our targets. The moment she saw Bakugo Katsuki set out for the forest with Endeavor's son, they moved.

Mr. Compress was to send a message once he is able to procure the target, and when the message came, I opened up the portals to have them all return. I counted who returned: Toga came in first, then Twice, and then Mr. Compress and Dabi were halfway in. But one of the children suddenly shot Mr. Compress with a laser, causing him to spit out his two marbles in the last minute. One of the kids managed to grab one marble, and Mr. Compress released it at once to check. Out came a mutant-type kid with a shadow erupting from his stomach.

Dabi managed to grab the remaining marble, and as luck would have it, it was none other than Bakugo Katsuki. As he and Mr. Compress melted into the warp gate, I closed it up and that was that.

Mission accomplished.

We all rendezvoused back at the bar successfully, with the exception of Mustard, Moonfish, and Muscular. I got Magne and Spinner out just in time, but that was three allies to one hostage.

And Bakugo Katsuki was a difficult charge. Aside from his explosive quirk, he also had a rather unsophisticated behavior and manner of speaking. I shouldn't have been surprised, but seeing it on screen was nowhere near seeing it right in your face. He threatened at every second to set the place in flames. Not even Mai or Toga's knives at his fatal points could keep him down.

Shigaraki didn't look bothered. "Lock him up in one of the rooms, and have one of the new kids look after him. I need to talk to master."

"Master? I thought you were the boss around here," sneered the blonde kid, but no one paid him any mind.

Mr. Compress knocked him out for a second and Mai dragged him into one of the rooms. Ever since she'd been accepted into the fold, it has become an unspoken assignment that she would always be on look-out duty.

It was those unnerving eyes of hers, and a useful quirk; somehow, she sees better than all of us. Strangely enough, while the blonde boy didn't quiet down for a long time after we brought him back, he was silent as he stared at Mai while she held a knife to his throat and led him into the spare room.

That was a strange look, unlike one he gave the rest of us. It almost seemed like he knew her.


	7. 7 Bakugo Katsuki

_**A/N: Fair warning. Katsuki and Mai both swear a lot here. Readers' discretion is advised.**_

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here, Binoculars?"

Glasses Girl looked up from the floor, but she kept her arms crossed over her chest and her body reclined against the wall. It wasn't that hard to make the connection: she looked exactly like the crazy mechanic who fought Glasses in the sports festival, after all.

I guess I have to call him Glasses Boy now. Or Four Eyes. Whatever.

She just stared at me blankly, unfazed. It sent what felt like lava coursing through my body. My ears went hot, I could almost feel smoke coming out of them. She's just like that half-and-half bastard. They both look at people like they're above everyone else.

She raised a brow. "Do you know me?"

I looked back at her, and there was no mistake that she had spoken—though it was barely above a whisper.

"Ha? Fucking speak up, Binoculars. You got something to say to me?"

"Why are you talking like you know me?"

I scowled right at her. I'm not _blind_, I literally see her in the hallways. That bright pink hair was always an eyesore, no matter whose head it was on. "There's no one else to curse at, is there? Fucking extra."

Finally, her blank face crumpled into a frown. "You just keep that shit-show up, see if I help you get out of here."

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP, SHITFACE!"

"YELL LOUDER, DUMBASS! I DON'T THINK THEY HEARD YOU OUTSIDE!"

I paused at the audacity. I had to admit: that bit was surprising. She didn't strike me to be as loud like her shitty sister, much less that she could speak crudely. Despite myself, I scoffed

"You're stupid."

"Well that makes two of us."

"You more than me, villain trash. You haven't even answered my question, this dumbass."

"Why should I?"

I stared at her, glared for all I care. I could make the entire place explode since it's swarming with shit villains, and I was well within my rights after that prank they pulled on me, but I don't know this girl's deal yet. As soon as I figure out just exactly what she's doing here, I'll blow shit up. She can get the hell out if she wants.

I let out an exhale through my nose. "Because you don't seem to want anyone to know where you are or you would have been with those shit villains in the frontlines when they attacked the training ground. I'm sure as fuck that I'm getting out of here, so I might just let slip that you're hiding out with villains instead of staying in school."

What? I'm smart! And this isn't because school is so great or some shit that we should stay in it. But if she had even an ounce of propriety left, she would be scared of getting in trouble.

It was her turn to scowl, and the satisfaction of getting a reaction from her bubbled inside me. _That's it, let me crawl under your skin._ After a good long look, her lips curled into a snarl.

"Stain is right."

"Ha? That dumb hero killer is right for killing heroes because of some fucked up ideal?"

"Because people like you shouldn't become heroes in the first place."

I glowered at her. "People like me?"

She glared right back and spoke through gritted teeth. "Yeah, like you. You're a bully. You push people around just because you're stronger than them. You won't accept help even if you're stuck in your own shit. People like you take that license exam and it becomes legal for you to bully others. Fuck that system."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You don't know jack shit about me."

"I know enough to say you're just a dog of the government."

_The fuck is this girl's deal? Is she a freedom fighter or some shit? _"Well, _you_ wanted to be a hero."

The poker face came back on, and she stared me down even if I was inches taller than her. She didn't flinch when I took the step toward her; she just kept those mechanical bronze eyes on mine like she could see right through me. She probably wouldn't have stayed put if my hands weren't in these stupid metal manacles.

"I wanted to be."

_Past tense._ I scoffed. "And now you're fancying yourself a vigilante or some shit."

She didn't bother hide the roll of her eyes. "Wow, that's dead on. What could have possibly given you _that_ idea?"

I snarled at her. I might start getting jealous of this extra's sharp tongue—maybe too sharp for her own good. Except that these shit villains allow her to be alone with a captive that they just tried to recruit, so they must trust her at some level. They can't _not_ know that we go to the same school; if they didn't, they're blind and stupid as fuck.

She apparently knew how to pick her battles.

Binoculars was looking at me directly, like I was a puzzle she couldn't figure out. She slowly trailed her gaze from my head to my feet and then back up, as if she was trying to read me.

"Fucking spit it out, Binoculars. I can hear you thinking. It's damn loud."

She shook her head. "I don't understand. Everyone says you're a villain type, and it's not like you prove them wrong. You hate rules, and you hate being tied down by people stronger than you. This society oppresses you as much as they oppress the League. Why would you want to stick with the losing side when you can do whatever the fuck you want with this lot?"

I scoffed. Just a few minutes before that entertainer jackass knocked me out again, Hands Face was offering me a spot in the League. Like hell I'd stand with them.

"This hole is the losing side, idiot. Weren't you listening? I want to win like All Might." After a pause, I added, "And who the fuck said I don't give a shit about rules?"

Her nostrils flared. "Fuck you—I've yet to see you give a damn about one school rule. And that's _all_ you want, and you don't give a shit about anyone else. How could someone like that want to be a hero? "

She was staring at me again with those mechanical eyes. Straight into me like she could read my mind, but there was something in that gaze. A slight tremor.

She was unsure of something.

I scoffed. "You really don't know shit about me. I don't even know why I'm explaining this to you. I want to be the number one hero."

Ahead of fucking Deku. Ahead of All Might. I'm going to be the best there ever was.

She snorted. "Shit excuse. That's it?"

_The fuck?_ "What's _your_ excuse?"

Her voice came out too damn soft, too _sentimental_, she might as well have been talking to herself. "I wanted to help that little girl."

Now I had to roll my eyes. _This extra has noble goals and shit like Deku._

"Blah blah you want to save people blah blah something about world peace," I drawled as I stepped back. They were itching to explode from all that sweat, but I'm not quite sure where this girlie is going just yet.

I need to be sure before I blow her face off.

"That's what a hero is supposed to be, dumbass!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Her fists curled into white knuckles at her sides, and her face contorted in a purple-red snarl. _That would make a great heavy metal album cover._ It looked like it was taking all of her to keep her voice down. Her entire body was shaking, and her breathing came out loudly through her nose.

I've seen myself on TV after the sports festival. And I know I looked exactly like that.

I sneered at her. "Yeah? You want to tell me what heroes are, extra?"

"Heroes are meant to save people, not become some glorified statistic like you want to be. We should be able to do what we want when it comes to the public's safety, and we should be able to call the shots! But no! What the fuck is the use of this license if we have to choose who we can save, when we can save them? Ha?! You tell me!"

I stared at her. After I made sure that she wasn't joking, I scoffed again. "Wow. Is that what you think a hero is?"

She sniffed. Loudly. "Better than what you think, apparently."

I couldn't help it; I laughed out loud. I didn't even care if the shit villains outside heard me. This is all so stupid.

"If that's what you think a hero really is, you're more stupid than I gave you credit for. God, how did you even get into UA?"

She recoiled so hard, it was as if I spat on her face. I might as well have, actually. Here I thought Dunce Face was the epitome of stupid. But as I studied her, it was like she didn't get what I meant.

_Oh god._

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" she said, her voice curling with offense.

_Oh god she really didn't get it._

I rolled my head so hard I might have snapped my neck. How on earth did this chick survive among these villains with a brain like that?

"You just described a vigilante to me, dumbass. That's not a hero. And here I pegged you as someone who actually gave a shit about classes like hero basics. I don't have to repeat Aizawa's lectures to you."

She was still scowling. She crossed her arms: a defensive stance. "Well if you're so smart, what do you think a hero is?"

I could feel literal goosebumps all over my arms. I'm not about to defend my views here. "Tch. You make my skin crawl. I'm not out here to debate heroism with a shitty extra."

Before she could reply, a villain from outside called to her. Her gaze shifted from mine to the door, then back at me. Without another word, her poker face came on again and she walked away.

"You can't save everyone."

She stopped, but she didn't turn. I don't even know what pushed me to say what I did; I just fucking said what I said, okay? It was like I had some sort of verbal diarrhea. Not happening again.

"The first thing we ever learned as heroes-in-training is that we can't save everyone, even if we wanted to. That license you keep pulling through shit deters professionals from abusing their powers. You may have seen how I treat fucking Deku, but you can never accuse me of terrorizing civilians the way your friends outside have. Before you start questioning me, check who you stand with."

She never turned to me again. She just walked forward, opened the door, and then locked me in. Only a few hours later, the professionals were raiding the hideout and I had my chance to blow shit up. I completely forgot about the girl with pink hair and mechanical eyes after that, given the events that came after.

I got warped twice in one evening, we faced off with this ugly-ass thing called All For One, Shitty Hair and fucking Deku came for me, and All Might won, but barely.

_And it's all my fucking fault._

It's been a long night (and day) and I was tired as fuck. The moment I was free from the police and the media, I elbowed my way past Shitty Hair and the rest of them extras and went on home.

_Too much. There was too much shit going on._

But at two in the morning, my body won't fucking let me sleep. I stared a hole at the ceiling, wondering how long it would take to rebuild our house if I blew it up. My mind was noisy as fuck and it was all a mess of All For One and All Might and even fucking Deku—and amidst the mess of everything was pink hair and bronze eyes.

I shot up and did push-ups until my muscles were screaming and mini explosions were going off between my fingers from sweat. I pushed myself some more until I was too fucking tired to get up, and finally my body shut down in exhaustion.


	8. 8 Pro-Hero Hawks

_**A/N: Fair warning. This has potential manga spoilers from chapter 191 onward. Readers' discretion is advised.**_

* * *

_He's late._

I was supposed to be in contact with the League after what went down in Kamino. With the media scrambling to cover both what was left of the place and the apparent retirement of All Might, this was as good a time as any to get in contact without arousing suspicion. It's only been a few days, after all. Everyone's eyes will be on what UA and All Might are going to do now.

I know, you're curious: _so, which side is the Number 3 hero really on?_

Well, if people can't figure it out, I must be doing something right. Whatever you say, I'm good at my job. Why do you think the government hired me as _the_ double agent?

"Hawks."

"God, finally. I thought my feathers would start molting."

I pealed myself away from the wall as a shadow approached me. I could recognize that voice and gangly silhouette anywhere.

"The pros knocked me out, I just got up. And I can't move around too much anymore; they've seen me already and it's still a mess out there. It took a while for Shigaraki to calm down and come up with his new plan."

I shrugged. "Why'd you think I arranged this meeting now?"

Dabi was a tall, lanky dude who I'm almost sure is about the same age as I am. I would recognize that devil-may-care attitude anywhere. We've been in contact ever since he fell in with the League, and he has been providing me with intel for as long as the government has been providing me with theirs. He's pretty smart, but not smart enough for me.

Believe me, if I could sell my intel to either side, I could live out my easygoing dream of heroes having time to be bored starting from the next hour to the rest of my life.

"Shigaraki?"

"All For One used Kurogiri's quirk to warp us all away. Last I checked, everyone's there. We're supposed to be rendezvousing with the Precepts in a few weeks."

I nodded, shuddering at the power of the League's Big Boss. That much was obvious given what happened in Kamino Ward.

And now we have the Eight Precepts in the picture. They've been underground for the longest time, watching and waiting for developments in the world above. I figured they didn't have much incentive to come above ground, seeing as something has been funding them where they were. For that reason, the pros were content to leave them well-enough alone.

But to find out what they're doing, why they're doing it, and who they're working for is my mandated job. Now that they're going to be in contact with the League, it makes them part of the suspicious picture.

Of course, I've had my suspicions for some time: somehow, it all boils down to All For One. And if the League is meeting up with the Precepts, this is the opening I've been waiting for.

"I'll contact you again when things quiet down," I told Dabi. "I just don't know when that will be, with all the adjustments. By my feathers, All Might is practically gone now. There will be major changes made in the hero ladder."

Dabi just stared at me. His piercing blue eyes met with mine, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment. It felt like he was looking beyond me.

"Yeah. No longer Number 2."

I made a face. I was talking about me supposedly rising to a higher rank, but then this guy alluded directly to Endeavor. Well, to his credit, everyone would be looking to the Flame Hero now, as he _is_ Number 2.

Well, was.

Maybe it's just me being self-centered, as usual.

"Right, yes, him too."

Dabi nodded without another word and disappeared into the alley. I will undoubtedly see him again, but for now, there are new people I need to meet. Too quickly for my fried nerves after all that's happened that evening, I felt a prick against my neck.

"Why is the Number 3 hero meeting with a villain in the middle of a dark alley?"

I didn't recognize the voice, but it sounded young and female. She was behind me, pressing my wings tight against my back with her body. I scoffed at the audacity and relaxed my limbs.

In a flash, four of my feathers had her pinned against the further wall. There was scarcely any light around us, just enough from a distant streetlight to make out the features of her face. She has the most interesting eyes: mechanical, bronze, and sizing me up from head to toe as if she wasn't held by my mercy.

To her credit, she didn't look scared even after acknowledging that I'm the third most popular hero in Japan—well, for a reason.

"It's Number 2 now, hotshot." I frowned. "You're a kid. It's dangerous out here. Are you one of those who rescued their classmate? They've all gone home now."

Her face crumpled. "That was Dabi, wasn't he? Why do you know him?"

I frowned. Dabi isn't a flashy villain despite the flashy quirk, and the most people know about him is that weird appearance and blue fire. To have this girl know the name he goes by—

"Who are you?"

"I'm part of the League."

I raised a brow at her. "Really? Convenient for them to leave you out in the introduction."

"The same goes for you, Number 3 hero."

Sassy. Definitely sassy. But I can't risk the cover I've so carefully built for a nosy teenage girl. I detached a feather from my wings and aimed its blade against her neck.

"Number 2, but whatever, it's not official yet. It will be in a few weeks though. Anyway." I heaved a long sigh. "You're going to have to be very honest with me, missy. I have work to do and I won't hesitate to eliminate anyone who could compromise it."

Her mechanical eyes wavered only a bit before resuming their brilliant glare.

"I joined the League to get information. They think I'm captured, and I'm dispensable. They won't come for me."

"And how were you able to stage that?"

"I was at the bar when they took that exploding bastard in. Kurogiri saw me struggle with Kamui Woods before everyone else was warped to Kamino. I got away from the bar and followed them, and I watched the evening's show from afar. When they were warped away again, no one came looking for me."

"Right. And you're here now because…?"

"Something I overheard Shigaraki talking about with the master. Kamino is just one of the holding places for the nomu."

I stilled. _Right, the nomu. This will be invaluable information._ "Which side are you on, missy?"

"My own."

I couldn't help but grin at her. "I see I've got a vigilante in my hands. What makes you think I won't hand you over to the police for playing hooky?"

"You need me for that information. No one in the League is disposed to tell you where the other nomu lab is, and my mouth could ruin your job for you on both sides."

"So you want me to babysit you."

"I want answers."

I sighed. This kid fancies herself a vigilante of some sort. Provisional license exams won't be happening until next month, and despite the experience in her eyes and the apparent intellect, she looks no older than a first year.

"Why are you doing this? Is school too boring for you?"

She just stared back at me; her mouth was drawn into a defiant line. I sighed again, but I still didn't let her go from the wall. Information for information—seems fair enough. And anyway, I could dispose of this kid quietly if she proves a threat. To any side.

"Fine. I'm an undercover agent from the Hero Public Safety Commission to reveal the plans and leaders of the League of Villains, as well as their contacts and hideouts. I've been in contact with Dabi ever since he joined the League, and I won't have a teenage girl ruin my job for me. I'm perfectly capable of doing that on my own, thanks."

The girl blinked, and some clarity appeared on her face. She looked less hostile as well.

"You're a spy."

"Sounds cool, eh?"

She sized me up again, and I'm starting to think her naturally insurgent. No wonder she thinks leaving school would be a good idea. It's either she's incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid.

"I'll show you where the nomu labs are if you will let me tag along with you."

"Right, and how do I know you won't run away the moment I let you go?"

Now _she_ looked at me like I'm stupid. "You're the Number 3 hero. You can take me down faster than I could run." Fair enough.

_Smart girl. _I let the 'Number 3 hero' comment slide. But that was true, and convincing enough for me to retract my feathers from her clothes. She straightened her hoodie and led me out of the alley without another word.

Kamino Ward was a proper mess, and some reporters and police are still milling around inspecting the damage and letting the world know what happened. The sun was rising in the east, and everything looked worse in the light of dawn. The key figures of the evening have cleared away, even All Might. Even so, the girl stayed in the shadows, behind buildings, and away from the crowd.

Soon enough we arrived at an untouched part of the Ward. The warehouse was intact and bore no signs of damage aside from sporting a thick coat of dust. This was different from the warehouse we got reports from, and Mt. Lady was sure to break that one down.

The girl went around and scaled the wall beside it. When she began to have difficulty climbing, I took off and grabbed her by the scruff of her collar. She was a lot lighter than she looked. I wondered how she fed herself.

"Where to?"

Unfazed, she replied, "Right at that window."

I flew us to a window lit up from the inside with a neon green glow. Wiping away the dust, I was able to peek in and confirm my suspicions.

Glass boxes filled with a neon purple liquid lined up the middle of the warehouse. Squinting, I could barely see something pink bobbing in the liquid.

"What are—"

"Nomu. It's their brains floating above the water."

"How could you—"

"It's my quirk."

I paused. That explained the weird mechanical look to them. "Right."

I needed to report this to the Commission as soon as possible, but there is still some information left to be confirmed.

_How many are these labs, and who is behind the manufacturing of the Nomu? How are they made?_

"Thanks, kid. You've done your government a great service. I don't have anything to pay you though."

"I don't need money. I want to work with you."

I squinted at her. "Not _for_ me?"

Her face clouded over. "Not anymore."

She definitely has a history, but I can't let anyone drag me down. Her threat of exposing me may seem shallow, but those eyes aren't kidding around.

"Alright, I might allow you to tag along. But answer me this: why are you tailing the League?" I asked her.

She looked at me square in the face. "It's not the League. I'm looking for someone from one of their contacts: The Eight Precepts. I have a score to settle with him."

_That's dangerous._ "Alright, see here—"

"I won't get in your way, Hawks," said the girl in a softer, humbler voice. "I just need this for me, or else I won't be able to go back home."

She wouldn't look at me, but there was a silent plea in her voice. Damn it, if only I weren't a softie.

I sighed. "Fine, you're on. But this is my job, alright, kid? Don't play stupid games."

She nodded. "Yessir." After a moment's pause and a long-drawn sigh, she added, "Do you have a phone?"

My hand flew to my pocket at once. "Why?"

"I need to call someone, if you don't mind."


	9. 9 Pro-Hero Vlad King

I didn't know what to make of the phone call I received near midnight, and right after the Kamino Ward incident as well.

It was near dawn, but the faculty room was a mess as teachers and staff were in and out trying to answer other phone calls from the media and parents, making sure the kids were all in their respective homes, and the security is up and impenetrable for the evening.

Principal Nezu looked worn out from speaking to the media. Some of Aizawa's kids were in the hospital again, and even he looked more worn down than usual.

I didn't envy him their hardheaded asses.

I had just finished talking to a panic-stricken parent over the office phone when my own phone rang.

_Caller ID: Hawks._

I had the numbers of quite a few pro-heroes for work purposes, but it was usually me reaching out to ask them to be present in school events or such things than them calling me for a chat. This was new.

"_Moshi-moshi?_ Hawks?"

"Vlad King? Hello. Someone wants to speak with you." There was a shuffling noise in the background, and Hawks' voice came through as if he was talking to someone else, "Make it quick. I want to sleep too."

"Who—"

There was more shuffling in the other line, and before I could finish my question, a new voice came through.

"_S-sensei…_? Vlad King _sensei_?"

A chill ran down my spine. I haven't heard this voice in a long while. I couldn't speak at once, and she confirmed herself for me.

"It's me, Hatsume. Hatsume Mai."

_My lost sheep._

I cleared my throat and spoke softly. "Hatsume. Is that really you?"

"Yessir, it's me, sir."

I didn't usually stumble over my words, but the evening with the media pretty much left all our nerves fried. "Why are you… How…"

"I'll explain myself, _sensei_. If you could meet with me some time soon, I will tell you everything."

"Hatsume, not _everything—_"

She paused, and when her voice came through, she sounded like she was speaking away from the phone. "You know what I mean, Hawks."

She seemed pretty friendly with the Wing Hero.

I had enough presence of mind to step out of the faculty room before saying anything more. The hallways were deserted, as they should have been.

"Hatsume. Things are a mess right now, and I don't know if I have the time to excuse myself from the school."

"I didn't mean now, _sensei_." She paused again. "How about the license exams? You're all heading out then, right? Just give me a few minutes, _sensei_. Please. Someone has to know."

This was all too bizarre to comprehend, but I couldn't deny my student this. Everyone who knew anything of the incident has been looking for her in the past few months, despite the events that have been happening in and out of UA. Her family wished to keep the incident within the school, but I know they were exhausting everything they can spare to find her. Her classmates were also worried-sick about her.

"Why don't you just come back?"

She sighed. "I… There's something I need to do before that. I'm not staying away forever, but… I have to do this."

I paused, pursed my lips, and decided. "Alright, Hatsume. Call me again on the day of the license exams."

"Thank you, _sensei_."

"Hatsume."

"Yessir."

"Are you alright?"

There was a small sniff from the other line. "Yes, _sensei_. I'll be staying with Hawks for the time being, if that helps."

_It does._ The Wing Hero may be young, but it's good to know that she was staying with someone I knew I could reach in a moment's notice. I nodded, then I realized she couldn't see me.

"I'll take good care of your kid, Vlad King," came Hawk's voice. "She says she still has things to do, but she needed to speak with you ASAP."

"Thank you, Hawks."

With a blip, the call ended. I know for sure Hawks is going to remove the necessary traces of that conversation. I may not know much about that pro-hero, but he's one of us. After all, Principal Nezu and Endeavor trust him. That's good enough for me.

"Vlad, time to retire."

I looked up to see Mic and Aizawa heading out for the night. I nodded to them and followed, but my mind was alive and active. There goes another thing to think about.

As if I didn't have enough on my plate already.

-.-

The provisional license exams couldn't have arrived much quicker. The morning the buses rolled in to take the classes to the venue, I was grasping at my phone like a lovesick teenager. As my homeroom boarded the bus, I kept glancing down at it that I was unable to check if the class was complete.

"_Sensei_."

I cleared my throat and looked up. "Kendo."

She was always so perceptive; no wonder they voted her as the class rep. "Everyone's complete, sir. We're ready to go."

I signaled the bus driver, and away we went. During the trip I kept expecting my phone to ring, so much that I didn't notice my leg was bouncing with anxiety. It was rather uncharacteristic of me, and another kid noticed.

"_Sensei_?"

"Yes, Awase?"

"Are you alright? Don't tell me you're nervous for us."

I cast a glance at the student closest to me. If I remembered correctly, Hatsume Mai and Awase Yosetsu used to hang out a lot together back in the earlier months of their first year, with Kendo Itsuka and Tokage Setsuna as well. I've asked them quite a few times during the first few days of her absence, but none of them heard from her either.

Well, if she wouldn't contact her family, friends in my opinion are a little lower in the priority list.

I scoffed and tried to still myself into that over-confidence Monoma may or may not have gotten from me. Awase seemed to relax a little.

"Of course not. You survived most of that summer camp and performed just as well as 1A. You guys got this in the bag."

Awase grinned and pumped a fist. "We'll make you proud."

Soon enough, we arrived at the stadium where the exams were going to take place. I led the class over to where the entrance was, and already a few groups of students from other schools were gathering. As I was about to walk toward the entrance, my phone rang. Confirming who it was, I quickly nodded at Kendo.

"Lead your classmates inside, I'll follow you before the exam starts. I have to take a call. And keep Monoma on a leash if you have to."

Kendo nodded with a sigh, then went to collect Monoma and Tetsutetsu, who somehow already managed to harangue kids wearing the black uniforms of Shiketsu High. Their other class must be in the other exam location where Aizawa's kids are.

I wasn't able to see much of the rest as I answered the call. I trusted Kendo; she's very reliable when it came to things like this.

"Hawks?"

"No, _sensei_, it's me, Hatsume. We just got to the license exam venue."

I looked around, but I couldn't see her. "Where are you?"

"Around the back, _sensei_."

I followed her instructions until I saw a familiar set of rust-red wings standing in the middle of the forest clearing surrounding the arena. Upon hearing my footsteps, Hawks turned and I saw Hatsume.

"_Sensei_."

Hatsume bowed to me, and I quickly assessed her. Her hair was cut ragged and short right under her ears, and her face was not exactly the cleanest. She wore dark, ill-fitting clothes that looked like she just got them from the trash bin or someone else's clothes line. She had blade sheaths over both her arms and legs, and there was something lost or tired resting on her face.

But other than sparse bandages over her arms and right cheek, she looked unharmed, and that relieved me of some anxiety. _She's alright, for the most part._

Hawks took a step back. "I couldn't take her further than here, and we can't stay long. I'll give you two some space."

As Hawks moved away, I tried to figure out what to say to this little girl first.

_Do you know how worried everyone was? _

_Why couldn't you leave a message? _

_Why did you leave? _

_Did you know Snipe still blames himself for your absence?_

She managed an apologetic grin. "You must have a lot of questions for me, _sensei_. Your face says it all."

"I could think of a few," I managed to reply. "Let's start with: why aren't you coming back?"

She sighed. She looked tired. "I realized a lot of things these past few months, starting with the internship with Snipe _sensei_. I have too many questions, and I couldn't find the answers to them at school."

I frowned. _So, this is where I have to act like a proper homeroom teacher. They never taught us _this_ in school._

"Did you ask?" _That was lame._

She pursed her lips. "I tried. Somehow the words won't form properly, and I figured I could find the answers myself. No; that I _had_ to find them myself."

I wasn't surprised. Even if she was in the hero course, this Hatsume always had the sense and curiosity fit for the support course. She and her twin sister were too much alike.

"And did you find those answers?"

She shook her head. "But I feel like I'm close. That's why I'm sticking with Hawks right now. Somehow, it feels like he's going to lead me right where I want to be."

"And where that is, you can't tell me?"

She shook her head again. "I don't want to endanger Hawks' job."

_So it has something to do with what Hawks has been up to lately. Aside from key figures in the government, no one else knows what Hawks does aside from hero duty._

"Will you be safe?"

Before she could answer, a rustle came from behind us.

"_Sensei—_"

I turned quickly to see Awase Yosetsu come through the trees. Hawks was nowhere to be seen, thank goodness, but Hatsume was very much still in the area and unable to leave.

"Awase, what—"

"Kendo said to look for you," he said as he kept walking toward them. "Who were you—" Suddenly he froze in his tracks and his face lost color.

I heard a sigh from behind me, and Hatsume stepped out from my shadow. She raised a hand and managed a tiny smile. "Yo, Awase."

"H-Hatsume? Were you alive?"

She shrugged, a little too casual for the occasion. "No body, no death."

Awase stumbled forward and engulfed his friend in a tight hug. "What the _fuck_, dude? Why'd you have to disappear on us?"

"Vlad King is right here, dumbass. Hold yourself."

Awase managed to extract himself from her, and bowed sheepishly towards me. "What's going on, _sensei_?"

"Hatsume told me what I need to know, but she can't come back. At least, not yet."

"And I can't contact you either," added Hatsume. "So if you don't mind, keep that big mouth shut about what you saw here."

"Why can't I— why are you—"

"Just shut up, you idiot," Hatsume cut him off, but I could see that she meant it to be affectionate. "All you need to know is I'll be back. Now go get that damn license and let the next time I hear about you be on TV when you start performing hero duties."

A loud alarm suddenly blared from inside the arena, signaling the start of the exams. Awase and I needed to go, and so do Hatsume and Hawks.

"Take care of yourself, kid," I said as Awase stepped back from her. She nodded to me, and that was all the confirmation I needed. After all, she's been able to survive these past few months, and now Hawks is watching over her. And now, at least one other person knows where she is. I don't have to be ashamed of her family anymore.

Awase took a while longer, walking backwards until he almost tripped on a tree root. I nudged him as Hatsume waved one last time, then faded from view.

"Show her what you got. Wherever she'll be hanging out, she'll be watching."

Awase took a shuddering sigh, and then grinned up at me as he gave me a thumbs-up.

"Of course, _sensei_."


	10. 10 Mr Compress

It was a confusing time for the last few weeks. Kamino Ward remains as the top news, where the great Number One hero finally retires. There is a void in the hero world at the loss of their symbol of peace, and the common people are scrambling around for direction.

We should be celebrating this, but there are more important things left to do. All For One was captured, and Shigaraki Tomura is a cause for worry. The Big Boss didn't seem too worried about him, but there is this strange energy coming from the boy at the face of the recent news. While the hero society lost a symbol, this side of the coin also lost a head.

The general move made after the incident was to scatter the League members for a while to avoid attention, and everything has been quiet for a good two weeks. I went away to the countryside to recuperate, and also to keep on a low profile for a while.

It was peaceful, to say that least: no one came after me, and I didn't have to hide in the shadows in fear that someone was going to recognize me. As heroes have their civilian get-up, so do villains.

It was a phone call that called me back, the same one that called me in the first time: from Giran, the person who brought me into the League.

"Shigaraki wants the League assembled," he had said. "I called everyone on the payroll. If they're no longer with you guys, just do away with them. Not my problem."

Cheery guy, Giran.

It took me a few days to pack away and clean up my tracks. I almost didn't miss the noise of the city. It always feels like there are more eyes here waiting for me to trip up.

I found them all met up in some obscure warehouse. It was rundown, impossibly dusty, and nowhere near as comfortable as our old bar had been.

Magne and Toga were in attendance, aside from Shigaraki. Even the girl who didn't talk much was there: Mai, if I remember correctly. I thought she would have been captured and detained at some child care center, or something. Her presence here showed that she was just as tenacious as we needed her to be. She watched me closely with those metal eyes of hers as I approached her and Toga.

"What's going on?"

Toga leaned over to me. "No one's said anything yet. Shigaraki seems to be waiting for something. Do you know where Twice is?"

I shook my head. "I was called, and I came. Giran said he called everyone, so Twice should be on his way."

At that moment, the door swung open and in strode Twice, with a strange boy behind him instead of Dabi. There was a sharp intake of breath to my right; Mai's eyes were wide, her fists tight at her sides. _Someone she knew?_

The new boy who entered had close-cropped dark hair and a huge beak mask over his face, which attracts more attention than it diverts. Maybe that was the point.

As I took a closer look, I recognized his face—or what part of his face I saw. It was a face I had not expected to see after a long time.

"This guy's famous?" said Magne, a scowl crossing her face. "I haven't even heard of him."

"He's Yakuza, the leader of the Eight Precepts," explained Shigaraki quite patiently, it sent shivers down my spine. It's been a while since I've heard our leader's lazy voice, and it does bring back memories.

"And are we working with this upstart?" asked Toga, to which I chuckled.

"Let this old timer explain something to you, child," I said, amused to be in a more knowledgeable position. "Back in the day before heroes and villains, the underground world was ruled by all sorts of gangs. They were slowly extinguished eventually by authorities, until All Might came and put a final stop to their operations. Those who weren't caught went on serving villains, and they're barely surviving nowadays."

"You're not wrong there," said the new boy, addressing me directly. His voice was muffled under the heavy mask. "Let me get straight to the point. Because of the mess done in Kamino, both hero and villain sides are leaderless. The question now is, who is going to step up to lead this army?"

There was quite a pause, and by then the boy was looking directly as Shigaraki. Our leader was seething, openly offended.

"You know who my master is," he said, straightening up from the wall. "The next leader is me, and I have my army. They grow by the day."

"And you have a plan?"

"Aren't you here to join with me? What use would you have of knowing _my_ plan?"

"You've wasted a lot of opportunity already, with the Hero Killer, then Muscular, and even Moonfish. They were all high-ballers, defeated by a bunch of high school freshmen because they weren't used properly. It's pathetic. So no, I'm not here to work for you and have my potential wasted."

Shigaraki turned to Twice, and I could imagine laser shooting from his eyes under all that messy hair. Twice—or at least, one of his personas—visibly shrunk away in fear.

"Twice, could you double-check your recruits before bringing them to me?"

"A-aye, sir. Well, he seemed like a boy with promise—"

"Shigaraki Tomura."

All eyes turned to the boy, whose name has not even been told to us. Shigaraki looked at him from head to toe.

"I invite you to join _me_. _I'll_ become the next leader of this army, and I will put you all to good use."

There was a long silence at his declaration. It was absurd. All this hype about the League of Villains was rounded up with our efforts. This is _our_ army—an army that All For One and Shigaraki Tomura built together. I know he's Yakuza, but this kid is biting off more than he can chew.

Shigaraki seemed to be under the same impression, because after a long, tense silence, he spoke. "Leave."

I saw Magne grin, drawing her weapon. She's always been quite a presence among us. "Sorry, man. You might be a gangster, but you got that wrong about us. We didn't join up on this cause to be under someone. I'm here because I want to live without chains. We'll decide where we belong ourselves!"

The next moment was a blur of movement and guts. One second Magne was charging at the boy, and the next all that was left of her were her legs. Blood covered the Yakuza boy, who looked utterly disgusted.

"This is your fault for hitting first. So damn dirty…"

I couldn't stop myself. It's not that I've come to call this group my friends, but we've been through a lot together and we all work well with one another. We were a team, and when someone kills my teammate, there will be blood.

I vaguely heard Shigaraki stop me, but I was on my momentum. I have to imprison this kid before he does any more damage, and then—

He whirled to face me; his quivering eyes filled with anger. "Don't touch me!"

Suddenly, there was a sharp pinprick in my left shoulder. Even when I touched the boy, my quirk wouldn't work. Too late, too slow for me to dodge, the boy reached out and touched my arm. A burst of pain erupted that threw me off, and when I looked, my left arm was completely gone and blood was flying everywhere. _My blood._

In the midst of my screaming, I saw the blur of Shigaraki Tomura rushing at the boy to disintegrate him.

"Shield me!"

At the last moment, Shigaraki caught someone else. An underling of the Yakuza boy's, I'd wager, and he turned to dust instead. I've seen Shigaraki Tomura turn things into dust, but seeing a person crumble to the ground in ashes was something else.

Well, to be fair, we just saw Magne explode.

Twice rushed to me just as our warehouse was invaded with a bunch of other people wearing variations of the boy's bird mask. At the moment, the shock masked the pain of my missing arm, and I was still riding on adrenaline. Needless to say, we were clearly outnumbered.

"No one followed us here, I swear!" yelled Twice.

"No; it's probably one of their quirks," said Shigaraki, a little too calm for the situation. "See, it would have been a lot more obvious if you came in charging this way from the start."

The boy rose from the ground, but he was clearly unharmed. "I had hoped this meeting would not result to any incident, but obviously there's no hope for us to communicate rationally at this time. Since each of us has one dead, let's stop here and meet at a later date."

Twice was shaking in rage. "I'll fucking kill you, bastard! Make him take responsibility for this! He killed Magne and ripped Mr. Compress' arm off!"

If Shigaraki would let Toga hack off one of that boy's arms, we'd be on fairer grounds. But Shigaraki stopped her, and without much fanfare, we let the Eight Precepts go. Before leaving, the boy left a calling card on the floor, telling Shigaraki to contact him as soon as possible.

The pain began to mount in my arm, and I was starting to feel doozy. The smell of Magne's blood and guts combined with my own was overwhelming. I retched onto the floor, closely avoiding Twice.

"Who was that, Tomura?" Toga asked as she and Mai helped bind me up. The bespectacled girl looked paler than Toga, which was to be expected. Toga had quite the unique tolerance for blood that not a lot of people have, and Mai obviously didn't share her sentiment.

Shigaraki was holding the card. After a pause, he said, "Overhaul. If he has the time to think about his codename, he has more time that I give him credit for."

"Overhaul…" Mai muttered beside me. "That has something to do with that quirk, doesn't it?"

If I wasn't going in and out of consciousness, I would have questioned her sudden interest. In my short time of knowing her, nothing ever merited enough of her attention to make her speak unless spoken too. And she did look shocked to see him, before any of us could recognize him.

No one else seemed to notice, however. Shigaraki just nodded. "I've heard of a quirk like that from master. I can turn things to dust, but his allows him both to break down matter, and build it up again. For someone who hates dirt, he has a hideous quirk."

Mai's grip on my shoulder tightened, and I grunted in pain. She nodded to me, the only sign to show me she was sorry. She and Toga finished tying me up, and I feel a fever coming on. This was too much of an unsightly afternoon for me, and I accidentally looked over to where Magne's legs were lying. I was sick all over again.

"Damn it, Mister, it's dirty enough in here as it is," muttered Twice. "We have to clean up Big Sis Magne's body as well."

After a moment, Shigaraki spoke again. "Mai."

She stood up and faced him with her hands behind her back, like a soldier. "Yessir."

"We're going to move to a new location. Twice and Toga will attend to Mr. Compress while he's recuperating, and I'll have Giran look for Dabi. As for you, I want you to find out where the Eight Precepts are hiding out and report directly to me."

There was a pause, and from my vantage point I saw something shift on Mai's face. For a quick second, those metal eyes burned with resolve, only to cool down once again to passivity.

"Yessir."

Something about her answer unsettled me: maybe she felt the same way as Twice and Toga when they wanted to retaliate at Overhaul. Whatever caused it, for just a moment, Mai let a hint of something slip through that cold, passive façade: a fierce, burning anger.


	11. 11 Overhaul

It didn't take long for the League of Villains to get in contact with me, as I promptly expected. They do need all the help they can get, and Shigaraki Tomura did not look like an idiot. I have the men; he has the name. And he knows power when he sees it, even if that meant feeling like he was using me instead of the other way around.

Well, that kind of thinking is up to him. As long as I have use of his army, I remain on top.

When Shigaraki Tomura sauntered into my office led by Chronostasis, he was flanked by a small girl with glasses and short, dirty pink hair under a gray hoodie. If I remembered correctly, this girl was the only one who didn't look like she was going to attack me back in their meeting place.

"Wise of you to leave your explosive comrades behind for a peaceful negotiation. This girl should suffice as defense for you."

Shigaraki Tomura looked around the place, but his sidekick was staring right at me. Something was unnerving about those mechanical eyes. _A mutant-type quirk, huh? It wouldn't be a surprise if those eyes can either see through walls, or from great distances._

After a moment, Shigaraki scoffed. "Can't say much for décor. This place is depressing."

"It's clean, which is a lot more than you could say of your headquarters," I retorted. "The damn place would give anyone allergies."

"Our place also doesn't take half an hour going in circles to get to. I felt like a damn ant!"

I shrugged. "Which was why you were ambushed so easily. Are we going to sit here and discuss interior design, or would you like to get straight to the point?"

The general manager of the Eight Precepts, Mimic, came to stand beside me. "Did you mean what you said on the phone, Shigaraki Tomura? That you will side with us depending on some conditions?"

Shigaraki looked too comfortable for someone in enemy territory—we haven't even agreed whether or not we'll work together. He sat himself down and raised his foot on the coffee table, obviously confident in his own ability to defend himself. I wrinkled my nose at him and remembered with distaste what he did to one of my men.

That was powerful quirk if I've ever seen one, but he's not quite like me.

"Our goals align," he finally said after a long pause. "You want the League's influence, and I want to expand that influence."

"Put your feet down, it's dirty—"

He scoffed. "Try that again, boy. The League of Villains answers to no one. We move as we please, but we would be willing to partner up with people who share our views."

I paused. This was as far as we got the last time, before their tranny attacked me and I made her explode. I still shudder at the memory, and how many showers I had to take to get rid of the grimy feeling of blood running down my skin.

It's not _pleasant_.

"Is that your condition?"

"There's another one: you will let me in on your plans, as good partners do. I want to see for myself if lending my influence to you is of any use to me. Oh, and there's something else…"

He reached into his jacket, and at once Mimic and Chrono were at him with a gun to his head. The pink-haired girl also moved quickly, holding a knife to Chrono's neck and another over Mimic's wrist.

Chrono sounded calm, but I know the guy was seething. "You've been disrespectful ever since you crossed into our territory, man."

Mimic had a burly arm poised to hit Shigaraki. "Just who do you think you are!"

The girl said nothing, but already her knife was tight against Chrono's jugular, and one more move will pierce Mimic's skin.

Shigaraki sat still, but it was not fear that froze him on his seat. He shot both of my men killer gazes that would make an ordinary citizen quail.

"Speak for yourselves, assholes. Both of your pathetic sidekick lives do not even come close to what Magne was worth to us—not to mention one of my arms. You will let me go, or this deal is off."

I sighed. If things go out of hand again, this entire procedure will go down the drain. As distasteful as this guy is, he had behind him the entire force and influence of the League of Villains. They may not be much now, but the name still rings with power in the underground territories.

"Mimic, Chrono, let him go. He came here of his own accord, so let's hear what he has to say."

Mimic let go first, then Chrono. After a side glance at his companion, the girl also withdrew her knife and returned to standing still behind the couch. Shigaraki rolled his eyes, sighed, and then reached inside his jacket again. In between his fingers was one of the bullets fired at their magician the last time I paid them a visit. It was a miracle they managed to find that bullet in that dump of a hideout.

He placed it gingerly on the coffee table where his shoes were previously on. I wrinkled my nose.

"What is this? I saw what happened when Mr. Compress was shot with it. He touched you, but couldn't compress you. This has something to do with whatever it is you're up to, doesn't it?"

I took a long pause, then sighed. After all, this was the beginning of a negotiation. I stood up, and Mimic and Chrono came to my side.

"Come along, then, and see for yourself what it's for."

Mimic looked to me sharply. "Overhaul. Are you sure this is wise?"

"They're on our side now. Shigaraki Tomura made the first move; it's our turn."

-.-

We led Shigaraki Tomura and his sidekick through the hideout. It took another half hour to get to Eri's holding chamber, and I could hear Shigaraki sighing loudly behind me in impatience. Once or twice Chrono and Mimic would glare at him, but he kept up the annoying noise. All this while, his sidekick has not said a word. She kept her gaze forward, but something felt as if she was looking right at my back.

_Was that blind obedience?_ I thought. _But no. Her eyes say otherwise—she can think for herself. Then, does that mean she trusts Shigaraki completely to allow him to make his own decisions?_

Soon enough, we arrived at her room. One of my underlings was just coming out of the door, and he looked startled to see us.

"Overhaul. I didn't know you would be visiting today."

"Did she like the gift you gave her?"

He shook his head. "She hasn't touched them. You'd think little girls basically eat this shit up based on their marketing, but she hasn't even gotten up from her bed."

_I wonder why_. I waved him off, and we moved to the door. There will be plenty of time for repercussions later. Before coming in, I turned to Shigaraki.

"A little background, so that you know what you're seeing. Inside here is a girl with a very interesting quirk, and we've been experimenting on what can be done with it for a while now. She's my boss' granddaughter, and she's been in our… _care_ ever since her mother abandoned her. She killed her father."

Shigaraki, finally, looked rather surprised. Then a nasty grin broke out on his face. "Quirk experimentation, you say? And it has something to do with quirk erasure, doesn't it?"

"Not exactly. It's different from Eraserhead, because his does not affect quirks directly. Seeing as this girl's quirk puts to mind the Eraser hero's own quirk, we've been doing extensive research on him as well."

"Is this going to be a lecture?"

I pursed my lips, and Mimic and Chrono beside me tensed up. I sighed, then continued.

"It's basic knowledge that quirks manifest in an evolved human body. This evolution results in something called a Quirk Factor. The Eraser hero's quirk allows him to stop the activation of the Quirk Factor, which then in turn cancels other people's quirks."

"And this girl's quirk is different?"

"We developed bullets using her blood that goes beyond the cancelling of quirks: the kind that not only stops the Quirk Factor, but damages it enough to completely get rid of the quirk and renders the target quirkless. At least, that's the goal. We've only got as far as making bullets that temporarily damage the Quirk Factor, but not permanently."

Shigaraki stared at me, then laughter started bubbling from his throat. In contrast, his sidekick looked properly disgusted at the realization.

_So here was a normal human being. I wonder how she got caught up in something as sick as the League?_

"So, you've been using your own quirk to harvest her blood to make those quirk tranquilizer bullets. For someone so keen on cleanliness, you're one sick bastard, aren't you?"

"We have a goal, and while the bullets aren't perfect, they're on the way there."

"I need to see the girl or this is all bullshit."

I put a hand across to stop him. "Don't scare her. We haven't quite finished examining her yet, and if something goes wrong with her, mental or otherwise, it could affect the whole procedure."

"Just tell me to shut up, kid. I know how these things go."

I shook my head resignedly, then turned the knob.

The room was dark, but light from outside shone in to reveal unopened toy boxes littered on the floor. On the far wall across from us was a bed, and on it was my most prized possession.

Say what you want, but this girl is precious to me. To us. He is my respected boss' granddaughter, and I've treated her like my own kid. I've had man after man try to become her mediator, in hopes of her having someone she could put her trust on. It's an annoying task running after her every time she escapes, but for obvious reasons, she never trusts me. Or anybody in this facility, for that matter.

Smart girl, I suppose.

Shigaraki kept his distance, as promised, and merely looked on. But Eri wasn't looking at him. She gave him a glance, shuddered at that unseemly hand on his face, then her gaze passed onto his sidekick. I looked to where she was looking, but the bespectacled girl showed no signs of emotion on her face. Even the disgust for my experiment was gone.

"Eri, you haven't opened your toys. Don't you like them? Is there anything else you like? We can get them for you."

She didn't reply; only stared at Shigaraki's sidekick. By then this was getting too strange.

"Was she an _onee-san_ that you saw in one of your trips outside?"

Eri squeaked, then looked back at me. "N-no… It's… It's her hair…"

"Yes, she does have interesting hair, doesn't she?"

I turned to Shigaraki and said in a low voice, "We've been trying to find someone she could trust among the boys, but all of them have failed."

"Why don't you try Mai? The girl seems taken by her already."

The sidekick looked at Shigaraki sharply, and I considered it. "Would your girl feel safe enough to stay here?"

At this, Shigaraki turned to Mai, who looked alarmed. It wouldn't be an easy task, and her face showed that she knew what would happen to her if she makes a misstep. But after a moment, something like understanding passed between them, and she nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Don't even think about touching her," said Shigaraki, turning to me. "Mai will stay here as a symbol of our agreement, but if any of your people harm her, word will get to me and the deal is off. I know where this place is now, and I won't hesitate to get you back. Twice, Toga, and Mr. Compress are still sour on your killing Magne. It would be in your best interest to abide by my conditions."

It was the best arrangement we could have arrived at. I held out a hand to shake his, then drew it back with a laugh. "Do we have a deal, then, Shigaraki Tomura?"

"Deal."


	12. 12 Eri

_I know that onee-chan…_

The other day I ran away, I bumped into a hero in a green costume. I remember his hands. He was tender and gentle, and he really wanted to protect me. His hand felt safe, and it was only after I saw that _onee-chan_ again that I remembered something.

The green hero's hand reminded me of her.

I don't remember how long anymore, but it was a long time ago. I remember touching my dad and, in a blink, only his clothes were in the kitchen. Mom was screaming, and it hurt my ears. After a few hours, she was gone from the house too. I was alone for a long time, and then two scary people came for me. I didn't _want_ to come with them, but Chrono took me anyway and they began running.

I thought no one would come to rescue me.

Except someone did. There were two of them: a short man with guns, and a pink-haired _onee-chan_. Overhaul told Mr. Gun to let us go, and then suddenly, it was all black and I don't remember anything anymore. Everything just hurt. I couldn't stand properly.

Mr. Gun wouldn't let Pink Hair _onee-chan_ come for me, but I saw her run to me anyway before Mimic closed us off. She was screaming, and I was screaming for her, and then they were gone.

But I saw her eyes. She wanted to reach for me. I knew she was going to come for me again someday—I know she wanted to. I tried so hard to run away so she could find me, but Overhaul always found me first. I thought she forgot me, that she wasn't coming anymore, but then she came to my room.

I saw her eyes widen when she saw me, and I recognized her at once. She cut her pretty pink hair and she's wearing different clothes, but it was still her.

She finally came to rescue me.

But Overhaul didn't remember her, and I think she was working with the man with a hand over his face. He's scary, even scarier than Overhaul. And now, they're all working together. If they find out who she is, they're going to use me to kill her. I'm dangerous, they said. I killed my dad.

Overhaul looked like he was trying to be friendly, but I don't believe him. He always hurts me. "It's settled, then. Mai _onee-chan_ will stay here with us and take care of you. Would you like that, Eri?"

_He's lying. He's always lying._

I didn't say anything. I didn't move. If I did anything, they would hurt Mai _onee-chan_. Before they left, she looked at me again. She didn't say anything, but her eyes were the same from back then: _Don't worry. I'm here for you._

-.-

She came in with my dinner a few hours later, and for the first time, I wanted to eat.

"Eri—"

"There are metal eyes, _onee-chan_," I told her. They were always watching me, so that means they can see her too. They can't know her. They might kill her.

She paused, then nodded. "Can they hear us too?"

I shook my head. "Are you here for me?"

Tears started falling from her eyes, but she kept her face away from the cameras. I wanted to wipe her face, but they might see me.

"Yes. I've been looking for you. I'm sorry I'm late, Eri. I'm sorry I didn't rescue you then."

I touched her hand. This much shouldn't be too bad. I'm hidden behind her body anyway. "It's okay. You're here now. Are you here to rescue me?"

She nodded. "But it will be hard. You're smart, so you probably know I'm working for them now. I don't have anyone else with me."

"You have me now."

She finally smiled. _Onee-chan_ is pretty when she smiles. "Yes. I have you now. You're going to have to wait a little longer. Is that okay, Eri?"

"Yes!"

-.-

"Take her, Mai. Hurry up."

A few days later, something happened. There were loud sounds coming from somewhere above us. It's probably in the house.

Mai _onee-chan_ came into my room with Overhaul and Chrono. She bundled me up and I rode on her back. I was scared, but because Mai _onee-chan_ was holding me, I'll be okay.

"What's happening?" I asked her as we got out of my room.

"We have to move somewhere safe, okay?"

We followed Overhaul and Chrono out of my room, and the booming sounds grew louder. There were shouts too, and it sounded like people were fighting. But _onee-chan_ won't say anything. We're too close to Overhaul and Chrono. They can't know what she's up to.

We kept walking for a while down the corridors, and then a little later two other people came in our way. I thought they were going to fight. But they greeted Overhaul, so they must be bad guys too. One of them was a girl in a uniform, and the other was a man with a mask all over his head. They both looked pretty scary.

"Oi, Mai, long time, no see," said one of them: a guy with a full head mask. He looked at me, and his mask moved. "Hope they've been good to you here. And this must be Eri. Hello there!"

He was trying to sound friendly, but he looked too scary.

Mai _onee-chan_ cleared her throat. "Eri, they are our _friends_." Except her eyes said they were _not_ our friends. There's only me and Mai _onee-chan_ on our side now.

"It's time for the two of you to work," Overhaul said. "Pull your own weight."

The girl in the uniform grinned as we walked by. She waved her fingers at me, and something about her smile scared me. "Sure will! Bye-bye, Eri-chan!"

Mask Man nodded too. "Leave it to us, Overhaul."

-.-

We walked farther away from the noise. Overhaul and Chrono were walking fast, and Mai _onee-chan_ was trying to keep up. Every so often she would look around, maybe to look for an escape. But I knew the place, and there are no escape doors here. I can't even tell her that without Chrono or Overhaul hearing us.

In our hurry, it took a while for someone to catch up with us. But someone did, and this time, I knew his face.

It was the other hero I bumped into, the one with the green hero. I remember he looked really friendly. He had a nice smile too, but he wasn't smiling anymore. I didn't want to him to come for me back then, because I knew Overhaul would kill him. Or I would kill him. Even now, he might get hurt because of me.

I glanced up at _onee-chan_, and she looked surprised to see him. "Lemillion." I was the only one who heard her. He must be a friend, then, but he didn't know she was on his side. He might think she's a villain. He might hurt her.

"You weren't supposed to catch up with us that fast," said Overhaul.

"I took a shortcut. Now, you're going to hand over that child to me."

Overhaul laughed. "You ignored us last time, didn't you, Mr. Student? This child doesn't want to be taken into custody. As far as she is concerned, you're no hero."

_No! He's a hero! He's my hero!_

I squirmed, but I felt _onee-chan_'s hand grip me tighter. I stopped moving. I know that if I moved too much, we could all get caught and _onee-chan_ and her _senpai_ could get hurt. She slowly moved behind Overhaul and Chrono to pretend she was trying to hide me from Lemillion.

"That's why I came here: to prove I _am_ a hero."

Overhaul sighed. "Let me put it to you straight: die."

We started walking away just as two of Overhaul's people stopped Lemillion, but he came rushing at us. Before I knew it, he was kicking at Overhaul, and his leg passed right through me and hit _onee-chan_ in the face. She dropped me as she flew away and hit the wall.

Lemillion caught me before I fell on the floor. I couldn't understand him. He's going to get hurt. If he pretended like Mai _onee-chan_, he would be okay. But he said he's a hero and he's fighting. He can't win.

"No… Go away! He'll kill you too!"

He was panting and sweating, but he held me like the green hero did. Like how _onee-chan_ did.

Overhaul stood up again, and called to me. "Eri, come back here. You're meant to destroy people. You're going to destroy him too."

"No… no…"

Lemillion me tighter. "Don't listen to him!"

I tried to ignore what Overhaul was saying and gripped the hero's cape. "Don't hurt her. She's helping me. She's Mai _onee-chan_, and she wants to save me. Really."

He looked confused, then he looked over to where Mai _onee-chan_ was trying to get up. "Alright. Alright, we'll try to help her too."

Overhaul suddenly made the floor explode into spikes, but Lemillion lifted me up. I thought he was going to get stabbed, but the spikes just passed through his body and he lifted me away from the spikes. He let me down for a moment, and then Mai _onee-chan_ was able to crawl toward me and hug me.

"I told him who you were," I said, holding onto her as everything around me grew louder.

Her face was purple from where Lemillion kicked her, but she smiled. "Thank you, Eri. I'll keep you safe while he fights, and the other heroes are here too. Don't worry, we got you."

A cape came flying toward us, and for a second, I saw Lemillion without his cape. Mai _onee-chan_ wrapped the both of us up in it, and we couldn't see anything anymore. When the cape fell away, I saw Overhaul running to me. But Lemillion got him from behind. He was fighting both Overhaul and Chrono, and he was winning.

Mai _onee-chan_ kept hold of me. "We'll be alright, Eri. We'll be alright," she kept saying.

Just then, I saw Nemoto point a gun towards us. I shut my eyes, and I felt Mai _onee-chan_ fold herself over me. I peeked and saw Lemillion jumping toward us. He was much bigger than _onee-chan_, and he covered us completely.

Something hit him, and he grunted as he fell on the floor.

"_Senpai_!"

But he was smiling. "Keep hold of her until I come back for you, okay?"

Mai _onee-chan_ was shaking, but she said, "Yessir!"

When he stood to fight with Overhaul again, something was wrong. He wasn't passing through the spikes anymore.

_They shot him with my bullets._

Suddenly, the wall exploded and the green hero came bursting in right on time, with two other heroes behind him. Mai _onee-chan_ sounded relieved when she called his name. I don't remember what it was.

Lemillion ran to stand in front of us. When a man in a suit came toward us, Mai _onee-chan_ stepped back and let him hug Lemillion and me.

"Thank you for holding out so well on your own." Then he turned and called on the green hero. "Get Mirio and Eri out of here! I'll hold him."

Then the green hero was with us. He was about to hit Mai _onee-chan_, but I grabbed his arm first. "No! She's a hero! She's helping me!"

Mai _onee-chan_ was shaking as she knelt with us. "Midoriya, it's me. Hatsume. From 1B. Come on, follow me."

The green hero looked surprised. "Hatsume! What are you—"

"Never mind. Later!"

The green hero kicked the wall behind us, and Mai _onee-chan_ led us through. Lemillion was holding me, but I couldn't open my eyes anymore. It was all too scary.

Something crashed, Lemillion yelled, and the green hero ran back. I can't let him go back. He'll kill him. He'll kill them all. Lemillion fell on his knees, and Mai _onee-chan_ was trying to help him up.

Everyone was hurt because of me. I know what I have to do. Overhaul told me so. He was right. For one thing, he has always been right.

My legs walked me back to where everyone was fighting. The green hero was flashes of light around the room. The man who hugged us was poked through with spikes, and he wasn't moving. Overhaul destroyed the room. He will kill everyone to get me back.

It's scary, but I have to do it.

"Stop it! I'll come back to you! Let everyone go!"


	13. 13 Togata Mirio

I need to get Eri somewhere safer. I'm still on control. I'm okay. This is nothing. I still have power. I got this.

_Do I?_

"Keep… moving… Lemillion!"

But my legs betrayed me and I fell onto the floor. I heard Eri's small gasp beside me and I felt weaker. I felt Hatsume's hands try to pull me up. I don't have enough strength to haul myself out. Even after all that training, even after telling those first years that I made my quirk powerful—I still couldn't protect everyone.

Sir Nighteye is in trouble – _could be dying_ – my underclassman was fighting alone, and Eri is still not safe. Every passing second that we stay here increases Overhaul's chances to catch up to us and render this entire mission fruitless.

I'm in no condition to fight anymore, no matter how much I want to. I don't have anything left to push out. The enemy broke me down and wore me out so much that I can barely move. And now my quirk is gone too.

_Damn it, I couldn't even protect myself. I've stopped bleeding, but I've lost too much blood already…_

"No! Get up, you big lug! Keep moving!"

"_Senpai_… Are you alright? No, that's a stupid question."

And then there's this girl. Hatsume from the freshman class of 1B, she said. That class _was_ missing one student when we did our demo with them. There have been rumors of a UA student who ran off during their internship season for the past few months, but it's been hushed up by the admin. Besides, a lot went down in UA in the first semester, which made it easier to sweep the issue under the rug.

She came to kneel in front of me, and there's something familiar about her eyes. I've seen that face before, somewhere. I can't remember…

"Are you the runaway?"

She bristled, then hung her head and nodded. "It's… It's personal. And a long story. But I swear I'm here to help. Just… Just tell me what to do."

"We need to get out of the house… There are heroes and police waiting outside… Goddamn my legs won't move…"

Hatsume moved beside me and hooked one of my arms around her shoulders. I easily dwarfed her, and neither did she have Midoriya's buffed-up frame. If anything, she looked like she hasn't eaten well in weeks. But here she was: this petite freshman trying to help me walk.

_I'm so useless._

"Eri, come on," she said, holding a hand out for Eri. Somehow, the little girl trusted her and took her hand. "We're going out, okay? You're going to help me with Lemillion."

Eri reluctantly took Hatsume's hand, but she was looking back through the hole in the wall Midoriya made, back where everyone else was fighting. I saw Eraserhead and Sir Nighteye burst in with Midoriya before we moved out, and I'm sure Tamaki and the others made it in already.

I wanted to fight; I needed to see if Sir was okay. But he ordered me to get Eri out. If it's the last thing I do, I'll do what Sir says.

"Hatsume, take Eri and go. I'll only slow you down. Back-up is coming soon anyway, so I'll be alright. But you have to meet up with everyone else."

"What? No, _senpai_—"

"Do as I say, freshman!"

I startled her, but I was not in any capacity to speak gently anymore. Hatsume can handle herself. I turned to Eri and put my hands on her shoulders. I tried to still myself, to speak more considerately so as not to scare her too. She's been scared enough.

I managed a smile. "Eri, you're going to be okay. Go with _onee-chan _ and find help, alright?"

Suddenly my body was wracked with spasms and I fell to the ground. In the midst of everything, I didn't see Eri let go of Hatsume and run back to the chaos. Neither did I have enough strength to stop her.

"Eri, no!"

Hatsume ran back to get Eri and I heard her swear. "Shit, he has her! She gave herself up for everyone! Midoriya!"

My consciousness was fading. I wanted to get up. I wanted to run back and get her, but my body wouldn't listen to me. It wasn't only blood I lost. There was something empty in me, and I knew my power was gone.

Hatsume came running back. "_Senpai_! _Senpai_, come on, I'll get you—"

Something bounded into the hallway. It looked like a hundred tentacles, and at once I knew Tamaki had come for me. I felt my body relax. It won't be long now before I lose consciousness.

"Oi! Mirio! Get away from him!"

Before I could explain, he was holding Hatsume by a tentacle against the wall while he helped me sit up.

"She's… She's with me… She helped me with Eri… Let her go…"

Tamaki looked confused, but he let Hatsume down and was staring at her. "Who are you? You're not with us."

"No, I… It's a long story."

But I never heard what her long story was, or how Tamaki got me out, because at that moment, the world turned black.

-.-

I woke up in the hospital. Based on the pain and the sunset outside my window, it hasn't been that long. I was still bleeding from numerous parts in my body, but I'm all bandaged up. I was alone in the room. Tamaki and the others probably went to get treated as well.

I remembered Sir. I shuddered at the possibilities and before I could think about it, I was up from my bed and pushing everyone out of my way.

I need to see him. He was stabbed right through the stomach. _No… No, he can't be…_

I found his room and it was crowded with a lot of people. A nurse was following me, I think All Might and Midoriya were there, and I caught a glimpse of Recovery Girl and Bubble Girl and Centipede, but nothing else mattered.

What filled my vision was Sir Nighteye lying down on that hospital bed with tubes and machines all hooked up to his stomach. He was pale, and his breathing was slow. Too slow.

It made me feel sick.

"Wait, Togata! You can't move yet—"

"Sir Nighteye!"

He turned his head and saw me. _He's alright. He's going to be alright._ I fell beside his bed and gripped the sides, as if that would hold him down to the earth.

"You can't die, Sir! Please don't die!"

"Mirio… You went through so much because I was lacking… If only I looked more carefully… If only I had done more for you…"

"No, Sir! You taught me so much. No, you taught me everything! You have to keep teaching me, Sir! Please! Please…"

He was alive, I could see that. But in hindsight, after I've given it some thought, he also looked very tired, and sad. Sad, but proud. He lifted a weak hand to my face, and I could feel the strain it took for him to hold it there. I felt myself shake in fear.

"It'll be alright. Mirio, you're going to be an amazing hero—I know you will. This is the only future we shouldn't change. So, you have to promise me to keep smiling."

"No… No, no, no!"

But his hand fell away, and even as he was smiling, he was fading. I could see him fading. I saw it, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

The heart monitor let out a long, high-pitched beep, and it was over.

I've never felt more useless in my life.

-.-

Everything after that was a blur. Some nurses and the other heroes brought me back to my room. I was crying and screaming and I think I might have hit some people. At the moment, it didn't matter. I knew I wasn't as strong as I was.

When they finally managed to bring me back onto my bed, my body felt heavy with fatigue. I lay down and didn't move a muscle, but I also couldn't sleep. I stared at my ceiling while the hours passed by, until the sun set outside my window and the stars started coming out.

Aizawa _sensei_ came to see me a few hours later, but nothing he said made anything feel better, in that moment. Sir Nighteye was still dead. When he knew that he wouldn't get through to me, he left the room for me to go back to sleep.

Except I didn't, and I was awake and when she found me. When she came into my room, I thought it was another nurse taking tests or checking the bandages. But when she stood over my bed, I recognized her tear-stained face. Her cheek was purple where I kicked it, and none of her injuries were bandaged up. Her voice was choked up when she spoke.

"I'm so sorry, _senpai_…"

"Oh, it's you, Hatsume. You made it out alright?"

She nodded and wiped her tears with the backs of her hands. "Amajiki _senpai_ took you away and there were a bunch of police, so I left when I saw you were okay. But I still had to make sure…" And then, she started crying again.

"You need to get that jaw looked at. Are you hurt anywhere else? I remember I hit you."

She shook her head. Her hands were tight fists at her sides. "No, I'm alright. Better than most, better than…" She paused, and her crying grew worse. She suddenly knelt beside my bed in an act of repentance, her forehead touching the ground. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I couldn't help him… I'm sorry, _senpai_…"

_Ah, she's talking about Sir Nighteye._

I'm far from being okay. My heart hurt when I remember how broken Sir was, how I couldn't do anything to save him when Overhaul impaled him. How I just stood by when he slipped away from the world.

But a small voice in the back of my mind kept me sane, after hours of thinking. The mission was basically a success: we got Eri out. Most of us got out of the wreckage, both pros and students alike. I remember Eraserhead warning Midoriya before the mission, and I know how everyone was against us taking part of this in the first place. And I remembered Sir's words.

_Keep smiling._

It's going to be tough for a while, but it's his last order. I will follow it to the death.

"Oi, Hatsume, get up from there."

"I'm sorry… If you want to take it out on me, go ahead."

"You didn't kill him, did you?"

She lifted her head, surprised. "What?"

I sighed, then sat up from my bed. Everything still hurt, but lying down for hours has helped a little.

"You weren't really with the villains. You helped save Eri. You protected her, and you tried to help me. If Sir were alive, he'd probably scold you, but he would also thank you. So, I'll do the same: thank you for helping me, Hatsume."

She looked properly confused, but I stood by what I said. I may not know her story, but when push came to shove, she was on our side. She was a hero.

"Oi, chin up, hm? Have you seen Eri yet?"

She wiped her tears away again, but she didn't look as scared or broken anymore. She shook her head. "I overheard Eraserhead telling Midoriya that she was quarantined based on what they found out about her quirk. I'm not sure yet what's up, but I can find out for you if you want."

I smiled, then shook my head. "It's alright, Midoriya will probably see me in the morning anyway. You go on home, and rest. Your whole face is purple now. I must have kicked you really good."

She lifted a hand to touch her cheek and flinched at the contact. She managed a half-grin. "Yeah. I've always thought you're really cool, Lemillion. I didn't think me finally meeting such a respected _senpai_ would turn out like this. But thank you."

When she turned to leave, I said, "Will I see you in school soon? It's too bad you missed my demonstration with your class."

She paused, and turned and bowed a full 90 degrees. "Yessir. I will make sure to greet you properly then, _senpai_."

"Good girl. See you, then."


	14. 14 Midoriya Izuku

Before I knew it, we were headed back to school. Thanks to Recovery Girl and the genius of the doctors, Uraraka, Asui, and I managed to go back to UA with Kirishima the next day. Amajiki _senpai_, Fat Gum, and Rock Lock were staying behind another day to recuperate, but they were all out of danger.

All morning the news spoke of the incident, and even now it feels surreal that all of it happened in less than an hour. And more than that, I'm surprised that I didn't break any of my bones this time.

It was all thanks to Eri, whose quirk, apparently, was one that rewinds people. With every injury I got while fighting Overhaul, she rewound my body back to normal. It's because of her that I'm not as injured as I should have been.

I went to see Togata _senpai_ before we left for school, and I really did want to pass on One For All to him then. After all, Sir Nighteye thought he was the fitting successor, and after getting to know him, so did I.

But Togata _senpai_ refused it, and he made me realize something: if Eri's quirk lets her rewind people's bodies, maybe she can rewind Togata _senpai_'s body back to when it had a quirk. That made me feel a little bit better, just enough to stop feeling sorry. After a while, Aizawa _sensei_ to pulled me out of the room and dumped my things in my arms.

"We need to go. And look who I found. Or who found me, I guess."

Standing in the hallway was Hatsume Mai, from Class 1B. In all the craziness of the last two days, I've forgotten that I've seen her in the middle of the battle.

"Hatsume! You got out okay?"

She shrugged, but she kept her gaze down and her hands behind her back. "What's up, Midoriya? Glad to see you're alright."

Just then, Uraraka, Asui, and a newly-discharged Kirishima rounded the hallway. When they saw Hatsume, they pretty much reacted the way I did.

"Deku—oh? Hatsume!"

"You were alive?"

"Oi, 1B! What are you doing here?"

But Hatsume just shrugged. I did remember her being on the shy side, a member of Class 1B who didn't talk or stand out a lot. I guess all the loud genes went to her twin sister. And there was really no chance of standing out more than Monoma or Tetsutetsu did. Although I did remember her during the cavalry battle, and she was a sure shot whenever she aimed for someone. It must be that quirk.

"Hatsume is going back to school with us, and she has a lot of things to set straight," explained Aizawa _sensei_, giving Hatsume a long, tired look. Hatsume in turn ducked under his gaze. "For now, let's get moving. Don't crowd around Togata's doorway."

-.-

On our ride back, the others were pestering me about Hatsume in such loud whispers that I wasn't sure if they were really making the effort to keep it down. It was very uncomfortable because she was sitting right behind me and saying nothing.

"You saw her in Overhaul's labyrinth?"

"She was with Togata _senpai_ and Eri?"

"Why did she disappear?"

"Well, I… There's a lot going on, and—"

Hatsume suddenly cleared her throat, making me jump on my seat. "Oi. I'm right here. You can ask me your questions."

That made them quiet, then turn to her. Somehow, her shyness doesn't translate to being a pushover. Her outward personality reminded me of Todoroki, but she's definitely Kacchan when she starts talking. Except maybe that she doesn't curse at me on-sight. That alone made me think we could become good friends.

Kirishima was the first to speak up. "Hatsume. How the hell did you get there?"

She looked uncomfortable, but after a moment she sighed. Crossing her arms, she began telling us her story from the beginning, from when she had her internship with Snipe _sensei_ up till working for Shigaraki Tomura and Overhaul. After the long story, we were all dumbstruck and couldn't speak for a long moment.

"What would you have done if we didn't come to rescue Eri?" Asui asked after a while.

Hatsume paused. "Something. I don't know. But I would have done anything to get Eri out of there. Or die trying."

I heard Aizawa _sensei_ sigh up front. "Kids."

Kirishima let out a puff of air. "That was… quite a ride. I say you've had a crazier first semester than the rest of us."

"I've done some pretty bad shit," she continued, then flinched when Aizawa _sensei_ shot her a glare. "I mean, I've done some bad stuff, but I'm going to make up for it however I can."

"Iida is going to kill you," said Asui thoughtfully, almost nonchalantly.

I panicked. "Asu—I mean, Tsuyu!"

Hatsume sighed again. "I know he will, even if I didn't do it myself. I still worked under the man who did it, and I've done some heroes in trying to copy Stain. I've been readying myself for months. Between going back and forth for Shigaraki and watching over Eri, I've had a lot of time on me. I have a lot to set right."

"It's kind of amazing to me how you got away with all that," I said. I must have sounded in awe, because Aizawa _sensei_ hissed.

"Don't get any ideas, Midoriya."

"N-no, sir!"

Uraraka looked thoughtful. "But _sensei_, think about it: Hatsume has insider information about the League of Villains. She can help a lot in investigating them. Didn't the media say we lost a big amount of evidence yesterday?"

Aizawa _sensei_ sighed again. "We'll do whatever we can with whatever Hatsume gives us. But that doesn't make her actions okay. She acted like a vigilante, and without a provi-license as well. This will have serious consequences. You got that, Hatsume?"

I remembered the talk Todoroki, Iida, and I had with the police chief a few months ago. It feels like it's been a long time, but that was a message I remember clearly. I was suddenly scared for Hatsume.

But she didn't look scared; in fact, she looked like someone who was ready to face a firing squad.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry for how I did what I did, and I won't do it again. But I don't regret it. I've learned a lot these past few months, and I will take all this with me as I step forward."

-.-

We had a long day when we got back on campus. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out and debriefing with Hound Dog _sensei_ (something that inspired me to keep myself out of the guidance office until I graduate). Uraraka and Asui also had things to settle with the hero agency they interned for, but since the heads of both our agencies were out of commission for the time being, Kirishima and I had other things to fix.

While taking a break and eating our lunch, Kirishima said, "But it's fascinating what Hatsume has been through, don't you think?"

I nodded. "She was right where the villains were, and she was able to keep herself safe. I think she might have talked with Kacchan as well, remember? When he was kidnapped."

"Don't let him catch you saying that aloud."

I chuckled. "Not if I value my life."

After a long pause, Kirishima spoke again. "No one ever talked about Hatsume when she left. Do you think it was because her family wanted it that way? I wouldn't have known Hatsume Mei had a sister if I didn't see her for myself in the hallways."

"I think so," I considered it. We've all been so caught up in different events that none of us had the time to think about the missing first year. Shame on us, I suppose—she's still one of us, after all.

Kirishima stretched beside me and stood up. "Come on, let's just finish everything. I want to sleep for a day."

-.-

Through all the things that had to be done, I barely saw Hatsume anymore. Right when we got off the car, she was carted away by Principal Nezu and Vlad King _sensei_, and then I got so busy that I've forgotten about her.

I was going to meet up with the rest of the work study students so that we can all walk back to the dorms together when I heard All Might talking. Peeking in a hallway, I saw Hatsume standing with All Might, hands behind her back and head bowed.

"I think I know why you did what you did, young Hatsume."

She didn't reply.

"You wanted to find out for yourself what a true hero is, didn't you?"

After a long moment, she nodded slowly.

"And you understand now why Snipe _sensei_ did what he did that time?"

"Yessir."

All Might nodded. "You have a good heart, young Hatsume. You blamed yourself for Eri's disappearance, and you must have been so angry with yourself after you found out what they've done to her. You must be blaming yourself even now because of what happened to Sir Nighteye."

She didn't reply, just hung her head further. Her fingers behind her back clenched into tight fists.

All Might chuckled. "You're like young Midoriya. You have a hero's heart, but there is a fine line between being a hero, and acting a vigilante. Young Midoriya learned the difference. Did you?"

"Yessir."

"I'm sure you must have. But I will tell you this: if you were ever in any doubt that you are a hero, you can stop now. You are a hero, to the core. You may have lost your way a bit, but you found it again alright. You will be important to a lot of people in the following days, and now is the time to prove to them what you are. Everyone will make mistakes; what's important is you learn from them."

Hatsume's shoulders started shaking. Her voice shook when she replied. "Y-yessir."

All Might stepped forward and gave Hatsume a hug like he did for me and Kacchan.

"You're been through a lot, for a young one. And you have quite some work ahead of you still, young Hatsume. It's going to be tough going back to a normal schedule. But know that I'll be here for you if you need me. And so will Vlad King, of course."

"Yessir. Thank you, All Might, sir."

I couldn't hide fast enough when Hatsume turned around and saw me. I felt my ears burn. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Hatsume gave me a look despite her tears. "Didn't you, really?" But by her tone, I somehow knew she was joking. Or, I hoped so.

All Might laughed aloud. "Avoid listening in on other people's conversations, young Midoriya. Not everyone will let you go as young Hatsume did."

"Yes, All Might! Sorry again!"

"Deku-kun!"

Uraraka, Asui, and Kirishima were walking down the hallway. I waved them over. "Did you finish everything?"

Uraraka nodded. "Come on, let's go back to the dorms! Oh—Hatsume, you're still here. And All Might!"

"That's right—you guys need your rest. Go on, then. I'll see you all tomorrow."

-.-

The walk back was the most normal I've felt for weeks. There was no mission hanging over us, no phone calls or signals to anticipate. Uraraka, Asui, and Kirishima were engaged in an animated conversation about mochi, and Hatsume looked the most relaxed I've seen her.

"It would have been fun to train with you during summer camp," I said. "I need to learn more about your quirk. Hatsume—the support course Hatsume—uses hers for making support items, but you use it for long-range shooting. Wasn't that why you trained with Snipe _sensei_? Oh, which weapons can you use? You can shoot? How about knives? Can you—"

"Midoriya, you need to learn to shut up."

I squeaked. I unconsciously fell into muttering again. "S-sorry!"

"I _was_ there during the summer, you know. Remember when I pulled Bakugo through the warp gate?"

I paused and felt blood drain from my face. _I touched a sore topic!_ But after a moment, Hatsume grinned.

"Gods, I'm not going to hit you! Relax, it's fine. I guess I owe you an apology too."

"It's alright, at least you're here now, making things right. And you can always show me your fighting style to make up for it."

She paused. She's scary when she's quiet and her face goes all blank, but at that moment, I knew: she would make a pretty cool friend.

"You're on, Deku."


	15. 15 Principal Nezu

_So, the prodigal child returns._

Aizawa had called ahead to tell us of the new developments before he brought the kids back to UA from the hospital. At first, I must admit, I didn't know how to react to the sudden news. Hatsume Mai has been missing for almost the entire first semester, and now she just reappeared in the scene of the biggest mission the UA students had so far this year.

There is a lot to be said, certainly, but that would have to wait. After all, she's still a child, and a smart one at that. If she chose to return with Aizawa and the rest of the kids, she must have begun her reflection. So, upon her return, we only made her fill out paperwork and report the gist of where she had been in the last few months. Apparently, Vlad King was slightly aware of her position, but due to respect for Hawks' job, he kept his silence. There will be repercussions, surely, but that is for the faculty to decide.

As for Hatsume, scolding and setting things right with her family and her class would have to wait—at least, until the second day.

If there is any consolation to be had with her return, it's that UA hasn't failed its students yet—for this year, at least. Bakugo Katsuki's kidnapping was still the worst of the lot, and even that had been set to order. It was also a wise thing for the Hatsume family to make the first move and keep things hushed in the very beginning. It's only a blessing that Hatsume Mai is not a flashy-enough student to be noticed by the media.

"Principal, she's here."

I had Vlad King and Hound Dog with me in the meeting room. Today is the day we ask all the why's from Hatsume, and it would help her to have two people in the room who could help her process her thoughts. Believe it or not, Hound Dog is quite the compassionate counselor, despite his temper.

The student in question came into the room and bowed low. She wasn't wearing her uniform; instead, she wore a black shirt and dark pants. Compared to her loose garb yesterday, these clothes actually looked like she owned them.

"Come and sit over here, Hatsume Mai," I said, gesturing to a seat across from me and Hound Dog, right beside Vlad King. "I hope your teacher's presence here would make things easier for you."

She sat in the chair and nodded. "Thank you, Principal Nezu. I appreciate it."

"And now, if you're ready, we'll start with the biggest question: why?"

She took a deep breath, and then began her story again from the beginning, this time answering all the why's along the way. Why she was angry was Snipe, why she joined Stain, why she sought out the League of Villains, and why she went with Overhaul.

"I realized many things along the way, things I know I would never learn in school. It's not because UA is lacking—it's just me. It was stupid, but I had to do it at the time. For me."

I nodded slowly. "You're more selfish than you let on, Hatsume."

Vlad King tensed beside her. "Principal—"

"Yes, Principal. I realized that too. I know I can't apologize enough for putting the school in a tough spot, but I'll do it anyway: I'm deeply sorry," she said with another bow.

"If you had been flashier than you were, like how Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki were, this entire thing would be more difficult to cover up. We have every right to expel you."

She flinched and kept her eyes on the table. "Y-yessir."

I paused, then sighed. "But just as we gave those three first years a chance, we'll give you one more too."

She looked up; surprise clearly written on her face. "S-sir?"

"Because you were gone for most of the first semester, you cannot hope to catch up in time with your classmates. Second semester has already started. Instead, you will repeat first year. For the rest of this current semester, spend your time fixing things with your family and the people you've hurt, so that you can face a new year without regrets."

She looked properly startled, still. "I… I thought you were going to expel me…"

I smiled at her. "I know All Might talked to you. He told me as much. He still believes you to be a hero; an immature and disobedient one for now, yes, but with proper discipline and guidance, you can still mature. I believe the same. You still want to be a hero, yes?"

"Yessir!"

"I know you do, or you wouldn't have returned. You will work your way toward that goal, only now with pure intentions and a respect for our rules. And you will wear your UA uniform with pride next time I see you as a student. Understood, Hatsume Mai?"

"Yessir! Thank you, Principal Nezu!"

Vlad King looked relieved, and a glance at Hound Dog told me that we've gotten over the worst of it. Suddenly there was a beep from Vlad King's phone, and he said,

"They're here, Principal."

I watched Hatsume as the people came in. She froze in her seat as her twin sister bounded across the room and engulfed her in a hug, toppling her chair over.

"Ow! What the—"

"Mai you are the most incredible idiot I've ever met in my entire life! You ought to get beat up, you know that?"

Close behind her sister were her parents. Her mother was crying feely, and even her father had glassy eyes. But they all came and gave their long-lost daughter a big hug by folding in on each other on the floor. By now, even Hatsume Mai was crying her eyes out.

"Dad… I'm so sorry… Mei… Mom…"

I tapped Hound Dog, and he hoisted me onto his shoulder. I gestured to Vlad King, and we left the family to catch up in the meeting room for a while. They have a lot to talk about.

Outside the room, Vlad King's class was waiting and crowding him.

"_Sensei_! Is it true? Is she back? When can we see her?"

_Ah, right._ Hatsume Mai had spent the night in the clinic, resting and being treated by our other nurses, since Recovery Girl stayed in the hospital. Thus, Class 1-B had not seen her yet.

"She's with her family now, but I'm sure she will return to your dorms later. Just wait for her there. And aren't you brats supposed to be in class?"

"_Sensei_, it's Saturday."

"Oh, is it?"

Then, I saw one of her classmates standing apart from the others, silent. If I'm not mistaken, she mentioned him as we were talking earlier.

"Awase Yosetsu, was it?"

The boy in a blue-patterned bandana looked up, surprised. "Yes, Principal Nezu!"

"I heard you were able to see Hatsume Mai for a brief moment during her absence."

The way he turned tomato-red was astounding. "Y-yessir, but Vlad King _sensei_ said not to say a word of it…"

I chuckled. "There's no need to worry. You protected more than one hero that day. You did well, Awase."

No sooner had the words left my mouth did all the kids in the hallway turn from Vlad King to the student in question.

"You saw her?! When?!"

"And you said nothing?!"

"I wasn't supposed to!"

"Come on, Awase, and I thought we were all friends."

"It's not that simple!"

Hound Dog and I left Vlad to deal with the aftermath. It's going to be a long day for that young girl, with police interviews and lengthy reports, but I've done what I can for now. It's up to her to take her step forward. Right now, it's time for some tea.

-.-

The next day, as per her request, I called Vlad and Aizawa to the meeting room with her. She was already waiting for us outside, bright and early, despite returning to her dorm late last night after she was interview by the police.

Vlad put a kind hand on her shoulder. "Did you sleep well? Your classmates let you alone alright?"

Hatsume smiled fondly. "They waited up for me and asked me questions until they all dropped, but I couldn't sleep. Not till I've done this."

"He'll be here in a while," said Aizawa. "He just has to make sure everyone from their dorm is already awake. And on a Sunday, too. He needs to learn to calm down."

Hatsume bowed to us. "I'm sorry to be a bother—"

"Aizawa _sensei_! I'm sorry I'm late, Mineta was—"

Iida Tenya skidded to a halt and froze when he saw her. His face went from surprise to anger to passive in the span of a second.

I cleared my throat. "Good morning, Iida Tenya. Hatsume Mai requested your presence this morning. She has some things to say to you. If you could step inside with us, that would be best."

We all filed into the room silently, and Iida was staring at Hatsume as if he couldn't quite believe he was seeing her again. She had told us of how she crossed with him when she was still with Stain, and she feels like this was her greatest sin to atone for. While she may not have laid any hand on Iida's brother, she followed the pattern Stain did to him on other heroes, and she bears his guilt.

When we've all stepped into the room, Hatsume sighed deeply, and then dropped to the floor in a bow.

"There's nothing I can say to repair what happened to your brother, and the hurt we caused you and your family. I'll accept whatever punishment you think is fair, because I followed the man who harmed Ingenium and believed that what he did was right. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry, Iida Tenya."

Iida stared her down, unmoving. As a rule, the three faculty have decided to only intercede should Iida Tenya get violent, or if there seemed to be no hope of resolution. But what must be said and done should come from either of them.

"I'm not the one who should be hearing your apology," Iida finally said. "You should be on your knees before _nii-san_ and all those heroes you hurt, not me."

Hatsume didn't lift her head. "Yes, I intended to do that. But I wanted to make sure you knew of my intentions first, in case you happen to come across me in the hospital. Your kick hurt."

"You deserved it."

She sighed. "I know. I deserve it again, and from different people too."

Iida took a deep breath. In that short moment, he shook, as if he was trying to calm himself down.

"It's going to take a while for me to forgive you, so don't expect it anytime soon. I'm sure the teachers already have a punishment for you, so I'll just have to see what you do."

"That will be a little difficult," I said, making both the students turn to me. "Hatsume Mai is going to take a break for the rest of the year, and she will be repeating first year. You won't be seeing her around much."

"All the better, Principal," said Iida. "If it weren't for Midoriya and Todoroki, I would have done much worse back then. It wasn't easy coming to terms with what your 'master' did. Seeing you around is going to be hard."

Hatsume wordlessly lay her forehead against the floor again. Iida huffed, turned to the teachers to bow, and then excused himself. Hatsume only got up when his heavy footsteps have receded.

"I can't say that was productive," commented Aizawa.

"It was better than I expected, to be honest," said Vlad. Hatsume nodded at that.

"Well, Hatsume," I said as I hopped off Aizawa's shoulder, "best be off. I'm sure you have a few things left to do before you go."

She hung her head and nodded. I understood that she must feel rather sad. She just got back and reunited with her friends, but consequences have to be faced.

"You're welcome to visit during the school festival." Her face lit up as she looked at me. "As a guest, mind you. But we won't deny you this chance."

She bowed from her waist and left the room not lacking in gratitude. I looked to Aizawa and Vlad. Aizawa shrugged; he wasn't a key player in the events, after all. Vlad King looked a little more grateful.

The school festival would be a good way to wrap things up, if I do say so myself.


	16. 16 Hatsume Mai

It's weird how everything that happened, up till the culmination of that unconscious search I did for Eri, all took place in four-ish months. Come to think of it, I was off the radar for an entire season. Saying a lot has happened since my internships is an understatement.

The day I apologized to Iida, I went right back to the dorms. It was a Sunday afternoon, and everyone was home. Well, as much of a home as the dorms were to them; I never had the chance to get used to living with 1B, and that's going on the long list my regrets. I even had a room to myself, except it was empty. I stayed over Kendo's room the previous night because I couldn't take the hollowness of mine, but when she dropped off to sleep, I stayed up in the kitchen.

They were all gathered in the living room when I got back, but no one pressed me to talk this time. They knew I went out to apologize to Iida. I broke the news of me retaking first year, and it was just as surprising to find that no one was happy I was leaving. They were a little angrier with the fact that I ran off without telling anyone, though.

"We were afraid we did something, you know," said Tokage. I was sitting on the floor, knees to my chest, and she and Kendo were on either of my sides. Awase was seated in front of me, arms crossed over his chest. Everyone else littered around me on the sofas or floor in some organized chaos.

"I know, I'm sorry. It was all just me, and none of you did anything wrong."

"How fun would it have been if we all went to summer camp together," pipped Shiozaki. "You would have learned so much."

"She _was_ there, remember? When we all started dropping like flies because of some air trick and they kidnapped Bakugo," said Kamakiri almost nonchalantly. Kendo fixed him with a glare, and he shrugged. "I said what I said."

"Right, that time…"

"Oi, cut her some slack," said Tetsutetsu in a loud voice. "She got an earful already from the teachers and even Iida. And you heard the story last night."

I shot Tetsutetsu a smile, then Awase raised his hand. "So, you'll go home for the rest of the year, and then we'll see you next year as a freshman again?"

"Pretty much."

Kaibara blew a raspberry. "Man, that sucks, you have to retake all those classes and exams again. And it's not like you can just cheat your way through the exams, since they always change things up," he said with a shudder. "Remember last finals? I thought Power Loader _sensei _was going to bury me alive."

"And she should refrain from cheating at all!" added Shishida in a commanding tone. "She should have learned her lesson and must achieve her dreams of becoming a hero with honest means!"

I managed a chuckle as I saluted Shishida. He can be so much like Iida sometimes, despite being our youngest. "Yessir, Gevaudan, sir. And besides, if I know what's coming in the classes, for sure I can ace the exams. You guys may be step ahead of me right now because I was stupid for a few months, but I'll catch up soon."

"Yes, and we will crush 1A even beyond graduation!" yelled Monoma, supported by a cheer from Tsunotori, who probably didn't get half of what he said.

Kodai face-palmed herself and the boys snickered. Kendo reached over to swipe him with a big hand, but he managed to duck with a coy smile.

Komori's lower lip suddenly jutted out as she turned to me. "You can't even stay for the school festival? If this school is like the others, we'll be having one soon."

Honenuki looked thoughtful. "You think they'll push through with one? After all that's happened?"

"Remember the sports festival?" replied Rin. "1A got attacked by the villains not too long before that, but they pushed through with it. They might do it again, to show that UA won't back down."

"Damn right they should!" Monoma waltzed into our midst, looking like he just hatched another of those ridiculous plans of his. "If we're going to have a school festival, I already know what we're going to do. If it takes asking Nezu for his permission to have you come and see it, at least, I'll do it."

Kendo gave him a deadpan look. "We haven't even talked about anything."

"You'll love it, I swear."

"Doubt that."

"Whatever that is," said Awase suddenly, "I'm with Monoma. You have to at least visit for the festival, even if they don't allow you to work with us."

"Actually, Principal Nezu did give me permission to come as a guest. Whatever you guys have planned, make sure it's damn good. Better than 1A."

"You got that right, Hatsume!"

Tokage reached up and tugged at Monoma's ear, which elicited a sharp howl. "Why don't you start by actually _telling_ us what you got in mind, see if we agree."

"Whatever it is, it's gotta be manly!"

"And within school rules."

"And not cheesy, for crying out loud."

"You are all demanding for people who haven't contributed anything to this genius."

"Shut up, Monoma."

Despite my situation, I found myself grinning. I'm going to miss these idiots.

-.-

Mom and Dad picked me up from UA that evening, and Mei had gotten special permission to go home. For the first time in months, I got to enjoy a meal with my family. It took some getting used to, and they still skirted around the elephant in the room, but Mei was wonderful in breaking the ice. It only took me a few hours to joke around Mom and Dad again.

Because the issue was covered up well, no one from the media came looking for me. I stayed home the entire month before the school festival, slowly getting used to my own clothes and room again. I helped Mom in her lab, I waited up for Dad from his hero patrol, and I cooked for them all day. I rearranged my room, put away whatever weapons I still had in a box under my bed, and took to my gadget-tinkering again. Sometimes the 1B girls would call and update me on what they're doing, and it was like I was right there with them.

Mei had to go back to the dorms, but she came home every weekend bursting with excitement with what she has planned for the festival. Her room was a perpetual mess; I can't begin to imagine how much of her work was piled in Power Loader _sensei_'s office.

"Exactly how many babies will you be showing off?"

"Everything I finish on time!"

"When was the last time you showered? Or slept? You look terrible."

"No time for that!"

"Mei, I swear, if you don't take a shower or nap in the next few hours, I'll _force _you to do it."

-.-

The school festival couldn't have arrived quicker. That Friday morning, I took care to prepare and dress up. I took a long time in the shower, I brushed my hair, I put on my shoes. It was the first time I was going out in my own clothes, to see my friends, in so long. This was my chance to start setting things back to normal beyond our house.

"I'll see you later, Mom!"

"See you, honey! Make sure your sister gets home okay. I don't think she slept enough."

It was a quick commute on the train to UA. I relished the walk up the hill, until I came in sight of the grand gates. There were all sorts of streamers and balloons and lanterns already hanging from the arches, and there were rows and rows of stalls from the other courses, in all the years. The air smelled of good food and was filled with happy chatter.

I found 1B huddled in the back of the auditorium dressed in all manners of costumes. The girls were mostly dressed in gowns, most of the boys were in cloaks. There were swords and props and masks as well. I scoffed.

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

Awase saw me first and ran over to pull me toward the rest of them. "It was mostly Monoma's idea, but it could work if everyone gives Plus Ultra."

"And we'll beat 1A's show!" Monoma, as expected, looked like he was the lead of whatever play they chose.

"Do you even _know_ what they're doing?"

"No, but we're better!" Trust Monoma to be over-confident. "Oh, and Hatsume: make sure you go to the beauty pageant."

I frowned. "Why? Is one of us going? Shiozaki? Kodai?"

Monoma laughed loudly, and drawing Kendo's attention and fist to the back of his head. She looked irked, and I realized why. I tried to stifle my laughter.

"Oh no, did he enter you?"

She sighed. "Whatever, it might be fun, who knows?" But she only sounded half-convinced.

1A began the show in the auditorium with an explosive song-and-dance number. I had faith in my class, but that was a pretty good show. Then, after everything has been cleared, 1B went up to the stage and played a rendition of a bunch of classics that I couldn't even follow. "Romeo and Juliet and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Return of the King", it said on the brochure, but I could have sworn I heard Star Wars references too. Go figure.

In the afternoon, we all watched as Kendo showed off her quirk in the beauty pageant, and even if she was unwillingly entered, she looked like she had fun. I also saw a _senpai_ from The Incident: Hado _senpai_, who won by a landslide with a showier performance of her wave quirk.

Throughout the day, I managed to avoid Midoriya, Togata _senpai_, and Eri like the plague. I saw them, of course, but I couldn't just bring myself to show myself. And I wasn't ready to face Eri, not yet. But the last chance came when I bumped into Midoriya running to the entrance with a carton of what looked like candy apples.

"Hatsume! Hi."

"Those look good. Let me guess: for Eri?"

He nodded. "Would you like to come see her before she goes back with Togata _senpai_?"

I blinked. "He's going to take care of her?"

"He's on temporary leave for now, so he took it upon himself to watch over her. Hey, why don't you visit them some time? You're free, right?"

I shrugged away the lump of guilt from my throat. "I could, yeah." I did promise to properly greet Togata _senpai_ anyway.

We walked to the main entrance together, where Aizawa _sensei_, Togata _senpai_, and Eri all waited. When she saw me, she paused, eyes wide.

"_Onee-chan_? Mai _nee-chan_?"

I smiled as I kneeled on the ground. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Eri." She walked up to me and put her small hands in mine. Then, wonder of wonders, she smiled, and her eyes shone.

"Did you get to see Deku's show? And that play? And the floating hero in the fashion show?"

I didn't feel my tears until the rolled down my cheeks. "Yes, yes I did. They were great."

"Are you hurt, _onee-chan_?"

I sniffed and padded away my tears. "No, not at all. I'm just really, really happy that you're here. That you're okay."

"Eri," said Midoriya all of a sudden, obviously unable to keep his excitement. He glanced at me, so I moved aside. He drew his hand to reveal his gift. "Surprise!"

The look on Eri's face when she saw the candy apple was one of awe, but when she bit into it, her face melted into another lovely smile.

I got up from my knees and approached Togata _senpai_. "I said I'd greet you properly, Lemillion. My name is Hatsume Mai, first year in the hero course, class 1B. Or, well, I used to be."

"I heard," he said, but he didn't look angry or disappointed. "That's going to be good on your moral education."

"And I heard you'll be taking care of Eri," I added, looking back to Midoriya and the precious little girl. "That's going to be fun."

"It will be, for sure. I'm off until further notice, so in a way, we're the same. Waiting for our fresh starts. And don't get all sappy on me."

I was about to apologize again, and he must have seen it on my face, so I thought the better of it. "If I could be of any assistance to you or Eri on your break, it would be my pleasure to help out."

"Count on it, freshman," said Togata _senpai_ as he clamped me on my shoulder. "I have a lot of free time to lord it over you these next few months."

I grinned right back. "Bring it on, _senpai_."


End file.
